


Some Kind of Wonderful

by LizAnn_5869



Series: Love in an Alternate Universe [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Matchmakng children, Romance, Sisters and Brothers, fathers and daughters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-05-26 07:53:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6230044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six year old Jenny Noble and her best mate Tony Tyler play matchmaker for Jenny's widowed dad John and Tony's big sister Rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue One: Jenny and John

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lily_Dragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_Dragon/gifts).



> In the middle of writing one story, this one came to me. I'll admit to being influenced a bit by "Sleepless in Seattle", although this doesn't follow that plot. I love putting Rose and the Doctor in these romantic movie situations.

Jenny Noble was six years old, blonde, and possessed of a short stature and indomitable personality. 

Jenny had a daddy, the tallest, strongest, handsomest, bravest daddy in the world. He had sticky-uppy hair (her Grandad's words) and a big smile and sad eyes. She had her funny Aunt Donna and her grandad Wilf, and her grumpy Granna Sylvia, but that was okay, she could always make Granna smile. Jenny's daddy was always telling her she was so lucky to have so many people who loved her, and he was at the top of the list.

What Jenny didn't have was a mum. 

Jenny sort of remembered her. She'd been sweet and gentle and had curly blonde hair like Jenny's. She had liked to sing to Jenny. She had sung "Blackbird" a lot and whenever that song came on Daddy's iPod now he'd get sad. Mummy's heart had gotten sick one day and couldn't get better, and then she had been away a lot and Jenny had lots of sleepovers at Aunt Donna's. 

One night right after Jenny's third birthday, Daddy came home late and told her Mummy was an angel now, her special angel, and she would see Mummy again someday in Heaven, and that he and Jenny would have to be really brave together. He held her and they both had cried a lot. Aunt Donna and Granna had cried a lot too. She didn't like to think about that night much.

When Mummy first "passed on", as Granna called it, Daddy had been sad all the time. At first his tears had scared her because Jenny didn't know that daddies cried at all, but then she sort of got used to it. After a while, Jenny could make him smile again, and after a couple of Christmases, Daddy wasn't quite as sad anymore. That was nice. He laughed a lot more. They did a lot of fun stuff together and he learned how to braid hair, (finally).

Jenny was smart, and she could see how her daddy smiled sadly whenever he saw Aunt Donna with Lee, who wanted to marry her. Or when he dropped her off at Melody's and Mr. Williams was leaving to go be a nurse and he kissed Mrs. Williams goodbye. Jenny had told Aunt Donna how sad he still looked sometimes but made her pinky swear not to tell Daddy about it because she hated it when Daddy worried.

Jenny's daddy always did his very best, even when he was sad or tired. She loved her daddy with all her heart, but sometimes she noticed the other mums. That silly Alfie had Mrs. Owens. Tony's mum was really nice. Her other best friend Melody had Mrs. Williams, who took care of her after school some days. It made her sad sometimes to see them. 

One night Jenny got up out of bed, as was her habit, and wandered downstairs looking for Daddy and Aunt Donna. She loved it when Aunt Donna came over and she had protested having to go to bed. She knew Daddy would just send her back up to her room so she sat on the bottom step and listened as Aunt Donna and Daddy cleaned up dishes in the kitchen. 

"Why?" Daddy asked. He sounded annoyed. "Because. Because I am busy at the university. And with Jenny."

"Babysitter, anytime, right here," Aunt Donna chimed in. Jenny chafed at the term 'babysitter,' but continued to listen. It sounded interesting.

"You have a boyfriend and aren't always available."

"I'm blatantly auditioning Lee for the role of dad, and he's performing admirably. And he knows the rule: love me, love my Jenny. No problem there."

"And there's the problem. I can't bring someone new into Jenny's life! I can't upset her routine like that. It's already been turned upside down at the age of three. She comes first, no questions asked. Her happiness is what matters, Donna."

"What, so you don't get to be happy?"

Jenny heard that sigh, the one Daddy did when he was grumpy about something he couldn't fix. Then he spoke. "I don't know that I'll ever find someone who makes me as happy as Astrid made me. We were together for so long. She got me through my doctorates and we made that beautiful girl together. Where would I ever find that again?"

Jenny listened anxiously. Daddy's voice sounded like it did when he was about to cry. She almost wished she hadn't listened in.

"First of all, you're underestimating Jenny. She's mature for her age and she'd adjust. She wants you to be happy, and believe me she knows when you're not."

"Did she say something to you?"

Jenny sat up taller to listen, anxious. 

"She might've, but there was a pinky swear involved. She's concerned, 's all I'll say."

Jenny relaxed. Aunt Donna always respected the pinky swear. 

"Are the pair of you conspiring against me?" Daddy said with a chuckle.

"Not yet," Aunt Donna said, and Jenny could hear the smile in her voice. "Oh, John. We just want you to be happy. It won't be the same, if you do find someone else. But who's to say different is bad? Who's to say it can't be a different kind of wonderful?"

There was a long silence. Jenny yawned. She thought she'd better get back up to bed before Daddy found her sleeping here again. 

She heard her daddy speak just as she was starting to get up. "I suppose I could try. I do miss the companionship. I'm not promising anything, Donna Noble. It might be a disaster."

"Are you saying that to shut me up?"

A laugh. "Maybe."

"Just try. Go make a friend if nothing else right now. And don't expect it's going to be a disaster from the beginning. God knows if I had that attitude if never would have met Lee and gotten over Lance." 

"I'll think about it. And that's all you're getting from me at this point. I'm going to check on Jenny."

With that, Jenny shot back up the stairs and dashed back to her room. She dove under her covers, trying to slow the excited quick breathing that would be a dead giveaway that she'd been out of her bed. 

Jenny heard his footsteps on the stairs and then her door creak open. She squeezed her eyes shut tight. Daddy knelt down by her bed.

"Jenny," Daddy whispered. "You left Taggy on the step." Her eyes popped open and he handed over her little pink tag blanket she'd slept with since the age of six months. It had little satin tags sewn all around the hem. It still smelled a little like Mummy. When Aunt Donna had tried to wash Taggy when Jenny was very little, Jenny had cried and cried until Donna figured it out. Her daddy decided to spray a little of the perfume Mummy had worn on the corner of the blanket. That had been enough. He'd done it every laundry day since. 

"Busted," Jenny murmured. She hadn't even realized she'd picked up Taggy. Daddy chuckled, his eyebrow raised, amused. 

"You need to get to sleep, little wanderer. You don't want to be tired for Ms. Oswald tomorrow. It's a big day."

"You're coming, right? You'll be at career day?" She sat up to look him in the eye. His smile was brilliant. She loved it when he smiled like that. 

Daddy kissed her forehead and tucked her back in. "Of course I will. I love you, Ladybug. Now close those eyes and go to sleep."

Jenny opened one eye. "Rub my back?"

"Aunt Donna's waiting for me but I will rub your back for five minutes. And that is all. Stay in bed." 

"Yes, sir!" She said with a giggle and a salute like she'd seen Grandad Wilf do. Daddy rolled his eyes. 

"Sleep, Ladybug." Jenny giggled again and settled down. She felt him sit on the edge of the bed and then her daddy's big strong hand was gently rubbing her back. 

"Daddy?" Jenny asked, yawning.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm nervous about talking in front of everybody. What if I mess up?"

"You're going to be brilliant. You know your speech, and how to demonstrate that experiment. You're ready. And if you're nervous tomorrow...just look for me and give the speech to me. Don't think about anyone else. I know you can do it."

"Maybe I can," Jenny said, still sounding doubtful. 

"I believe in you, Ladybug. Now sleep." Jenny sat up once more and kissed Daddy's cheek, then flopped back down and grabbed Taggy. Daddy resumed rubbing her back.

Whenever Jenny had trouble sleeping she'd tell herself stories in her head. She'd cast herself and her Daddy in adventures flying through space. Eventually she'd doze off to dreams of becoming an adventurer, following Daddy headlong into danger. Tonight, though, she thought about the ladies at her school. She wanted to think of a friend for her daddy. Maybe even someone to kiss. She thought of the school ladies because that was her main frame of reference.

Ms. Oswald was really pretty and had dark hair and wore cute dresses. In fact, she was almost who Jenny picked to emulate for Career Day, but in the end she had to be a scientist like Daddy. Thinking about it, Jenny recalled that Ms. Oswald might already like Mr. Pink, who taught the big kids. They surely did spend a lot of time smiling at each other. She thought they probably kissed sometimes. She hoped not at school.

So Ms. Oswald- out. Ms. deSouza, the gym teacher? Nope, she wouldn't listen when that Angie was cheating at Capture the Flag. If she wouldn't listen there, she wouldn't listen at home. 

Miss Redfern, the head mistress? Um, no, thought Jenny. If she became her new Mum, she could just about see Alfie Owens trying to get her to get him out of trips to Miss Redfern's office. She might only be six, but she couldn't see any advantage to having the head mistress live at her house. She'd just have to keep thinking.

The combination of her daddy's hand and his soft humming lulled Jenny to sleep before she could think of any more. 

******

It had been a very, very long day for John Noble. And he still had tests to grade. Not that he'd sleep anyway, after talking to Donna that evening. He loved her dearly, but sometimes she got to be a bit much. Of course, he thought, she was a bit much when she was telling the truth. 

John sighed heavily, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, thinking of the promise he'd made to his sister. Knowing by now she'd reported that promise to Mum and she'd hold him to it as well. 

He remembered how long it took him to get up the courage to even talk to Astrid. He finally shyly spoke to her after watching her singing on open mic night at the university. It had turned out she'd hoped he'd be there and she wanted to talk to him. They'd been inseparable after that. Friends to lovers to spouses to parents, to the very end. They'd lived a wonderful lifetime in ten short years. 

And now Donna, and apparently Jenny, were hoping he was ready to start over again, just when then excruciating exhaustion of getting through the day without Astrid was finally starting to abate. Maybe they saw something in himself that he had realized yet, and he just needed a push in the right direction. It didn't hurt as much to consider the possibility, and he thought that day would never come.

It would be nice to make a friend, he mused. It would also be nice to feel alive again, as opposed to just existing from day to day. 

It was just the getting started part that made him want to beat his head on the wall in frustration. 

He could hear what Astrid would say, if she knew he was dithering about something. "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a first step, or some such nonsense, so get your arse in gear, Doctor John, and step." Then he'd invariably start singing the Proclaimers song "500 Miles" to her as she laughed and sang along. He smiled at the memory. It hurt, as always, but the edge had been taken off the pain. Maybe he'd even be able to listen to the song again.

Perhaps he was ready. For a friend, at the very least. But, at any rate, he was done grading for the night. He yawned, exhausted by the day. He dropped his red grading pen, and decided to turn in for the night. He did have a date, an early date, with a tiny blonde force of nature who wanted to be a scientist when she grew up.


	2. Prologue Two: Tony and Rose

Tony Tyler was six, strawberry blonde, and shy. He was a head shorter than the next shortest boy in the class but his mummy had told him one of these days he'd catch up and pass everybody. He was a fast runner and a good kicker and really, nobody could catch him on the football field.

Tony had a mum, who yelled louder and cheered harder than all the other mums when Tony was on the field. Her videotapes of his games usually had her loud running commentary in the background and jumpy camera work because she usually forgot she was holding it when she cheered. As loud as she could get, both in cheering and in fussing, she was still the sweetest, gentlest mum who loved to volunteer in his classroom. 

Tony had a dad who was really smart. He owned his own company, Torchwood, that sold security alarms. He had made some of them up himself, and made up an app that people put on their phones to make sure burglars didn't come when they were gone. Tony was so proud of him that he wanted to be him for career day in Ms. Oswald's class. 

Tony also had a big sister who was rather bigger than the other kids' big sisters. She was all grown up. When asked why his Rosie was a grown up, all his mum would say was that life was funny like that sometimes. 

Tony loved his mum and dad dearly but the highest form of hero worship was reserved for Rose Tyler. His sister was brave, and smart and funny. He supposed she was really pretty too. She treated him like her best mate when they were together. He had fun playing football with her, even if Mickey was better at it. She read "Harry Potter" to him nearly every night. Her Professor McGonnagall voice made him giggle every time. 

There's been a time, a few years ago, when she wasn't around very much and that hadn't been fun at all. She had packed up all her stuff and moved out of their big house into a little flat with a boy he did not like. Jimmy hadn't been very friendly to Tony and after a while Mum wouldn't let him go to Rose's flat. Mum called Jimmy words he knew better than to parrot. Tony had missed Rose terribly. Mum and Rose had arguments on the phone a lot, and Mum cried sometimes. She never blamed Rose, though, it was always that tosser Jimmy. Tony didn't know what that meant but he knew at the tender age of three he didn't want to be a tosser. 

Then, one night, Rose had come home, slamming the door and waking him up. She had a big bruise on her face and his usually quiet Daddy had been furious. Mum had been furious. Rose had cried a lot. Tony hugged her but he had to be careful because her wrist was hurt, too. Rose moved back into her room and Tony wouldn't sleep anywhere else but in there with her for a solid week. There were a lot of whispers behind Tony's back and being only three at the time he didn't really understand. But he had figured out the police got called on Jimmy, which made Jimmy a bad guy. 

One afternoon out with Mummy and Rose, after Rose's bruise had stopped being black and purple, they actually saw Jimmy. He said something to Rose that Tony didn't understand but the look on Mummy's face was very easy to understand. So Tony had kicked Jimmy really hard in the shin. Mummy had to scoop him up and take him into a nearby shop to get away from Jimmy, who was hollering at the three of them. Mummy told Tony he mustn't ever do that again. Rose told him that he was brave but he could have gotten hurt. And they bought him an ice cream. That was the last time Tony ever saw Jimmy. And that was perfectly fine with Tony.

After that, Rose was a lot happier. She worked with Daddy. She was just as good as Daddy was at making stuff up for work. He didn't know what a Dimension Security Network was but he knew it was big and Rose made a whole lot of it. She was really smart too. 

Rose moved into her own flat after a while and although Tony was not happy about it, he liked to spend the night and have pizza and watch Star Wars with her. She was still around all the time.

She was there tonight, cleaning up in the kitchen with Mummy while Tony played with his Thomas trains in the hall. He was really supposed to be getting ready for bed but he was lollygagging and since Daddy was working late, and not there to get him ready for bed, nobody really noticed that he was listening in. 

"Why? Because.... I'm busy right now. Dimension is taking up my time."

He heard the little laugh Mummy made when she knew you weren't telling the whole truth. "All work and no play, Rose."

"I play! Went out with Jack and Jake and Ianto just last week. We won the pub quiz. It was a question about Cliff Richard. You'd be proud."

"Any hope of anything happening on that front?" 

He heard Rose's laugh. "Ummm, Mum, you know. Wrong gender, me."

"I just don't get you, Rose. Three fit blokes wrapped around your little finger and every single one of them on the wrong bus."

Tony's brow furrowed. What bus? They always took Rose's car. Or Uncle Jack's. Mum was confusing sometimes. He connected some wooden track. Mum started talking again. 

"Are you sure about Jack? The way he flirts...."

Rose giggled. "Jack always flirts. With anyone. Possibly anything."

"The point is, Rose, aren't you ever going to properly date anyone?"

"I do date," Rose said, annoyed.

Dishes rattled in the sink as his mum spoke again. "Adam Mitchell doesn't count. We just want you to be happy. I feel like you're missing out." 

Tony thought about this. Rosie seemed happy. Well, sometimes. Sometimes her eyes were sad, but never like they were when she came home. Mostly she just seemed tired a lot. His big sister worked really hard. 

Rose spoke up then. "Who's to say I need to date someone to be happy? I'm happy. I'm not looking for anything. I don't need that in my life."

"It happens when you least expect it, Rose. Just be open to it."

"I'm shocked that you're pushing this, Mum. First comes love, then comes marriage...then Jackie Tyler pushing a grandkid in a baby carriage. Didn't think you were into that. Being a young grandmother and all." Rose's voice sounded like she was teasing Mum. 

"Oh, shut up. And take me seriously for a change, Rose Marion!" Mum fussed and Rose laughed. Tony's eyes widened. Rose must be in trouble, but she was laughing about it. When he got called Anthony Peter it usually meant big trouble, and he better not laugh. Maybe she got away with it because she was big. 

There was a pause. Finally Rose spoke. "If I tell you what you want to hear will you drop it?" She sounded like she was still laughing a bit. 

"What am I to do with you," Mum sighed.

"Just let me handle it, Mum. In my own way." They were quiet and Tony heard the beeps of the dishwasher being set to start, followed by the hum of the motor. 

He was surprised when Rose stepped into the hall. "Hmmm...no pajamas yet? And I'm suspecting you didn't brush your teeth either." Her eyebrow was raised and she was trying to be stern but her eyes were laughing. 

"I was waiting for you," Tony said seriously. He had been. 

"You need to get to bed, little mate. Career day tomorrow! Ms. Oswald wants you to get some rest." Rose knew that Tony liked Ms. Oswald especially. She called it having a crush, although Tony wouldn't admit it. Rose knew that mentioning his teacher would motivate Tony to get moving. 

They cleaned up the trains together and Tony changed into his shark pajamas and brushed his teeth while Rose told him funny stories about the people at work. He loved hearing about Jack. 

Before he climbed into bed he looked up at Rose and asked anxiously, "Are you coming to Career Day? 'Cause I'm kinda being you and Daddy both."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Rose reassured him. "So you're kinda both of us, yeah?"

"Yeah, except I'm mostly Daddy since I'm a boy," Tony said, as a matter of fact. 

Rose snorted laughter and tousled her brother's hair. "I understand completely," she said, giggling. 

"I'm scared, though. What if I mess up? I don't like talking in front of all those people." 

Rose smiled at him and gave him a squeeze. "I know you'll be fine. It's scary, but you can do it. Daddy and I have to do it for work all the time."

Tony wrinkled his nose. "When I told Daddy I was nervous he told me to imagine everybody in their underwear because that what he does. I am not doing that."

Rose burst out laughing. "I never do that! I think he was pulling your leg. What I do is just focus on one person to look at when I start. Then it just gets easier."

"I'll look at you. Cause I'll probably laugh if I look at Dad." Rose laughed again. 

When he was settled in under his covers Rose reached up to the shelf above his bed and took down a hard backed Harry Potter book roughly the size of a brick. "Oh, we're at the part where Professor Umbridge is about to row with....Professor McGonnagall." Tony giggled in anticipation. Rose's Professor Umbridge voice was funny too.

Tony grabbed his Tigger, snuggled into his blanket and got ready to listen. He so loved his sister. 

*****  
Rose entered her quiet, empty flat, turning on the light by the door. She scanned the room. It was spartan, all white walls and wooden floors. She had a bookcase half full of technical manuals and textbooks. She did have one spot reserved for her set of the Harry Potter series, a collection of Agatha Christie novels, and some Charles Dickens. Reading for pleasure wasn't really on her radar so most of her but old books were still packed in a tote under her bed. There were a lot of things packed in totes under her bed. 

This flat had never really felt like home, and she really didn't have the time or the energy to make it more welcoming. She was always at work. 

When she had lived with Jimmy she had attempted to make their flat more homelike and he had been such a wanker about it. He didn't want her spending money on it. (It was fine if he spent it on alcohol or a new guitar.) He'd broken or burned most of her thrift shop finds the night of their final row, when she'd walked out forever. He hadn't taken it well when she was the one doing the leaving. 

Rose supposed she didn't really care to decorate because it was just trivial junk that could be easily lost. Why bother when a couple of trips to Ikea had covered everything she needed. She was at Mum's and Dad's more often than not anyway.

What she did have was pictures and artwork of Tony's. That was what truly made her happy. Framed pictures of him as a baby, as a footballer, and in his school uniform were arranged on the shelves. A pencil cup he made with Popsicle sticks sat proudly next to his school picture. He had presented to her proudly at Christmas, telling her that he used up his whole pink marker decorating it. Rose smiled, thinking of it. She so loved her little best mate. 

Having her parents reunite after an early failed marriage had been wonderful. (Watching them date each other during the year before they decided to remarry had been weird, but they were together again at least.) Her parents getting another chance to be parents was the icing on the cake. When Mum remarried Dad she'd been three months gone with Tony, and Rose couldn't help but tease her about two shotgun weddings to the same man. But they'd both been much more ready to make that commitment than when they tried and failed at the age of nineteen. 

Which, she thought, gave her perfect ammunition if her mother went on a "you're not getting any younger" tangent with her. 

Rose thought about her conversation with Mum. It wasn't unlike any other day. Mum was constantly going on about Rose's lack of a love life. Why it had gotten under her skin so much today, she hadn't a clue.

In Rose's heart, she knew her mother's motivation was not to have Rose married off and pregnant as soon as possible. Mum just wanted her to examine her life and see if she was getting everything out of it that she wanted. 

"I am happy," Rose said aloud to her empty flat. "I think I am, at any rate." She didn't sound very convincing, even to herself. She sighed, then yawned. Tony had stayed awake for almost a whole chapter. Rose was knackered. Tony liked to interrupt and ask questions at every turn. She hoped he'd be rested for school in the morning.

Rose decided to turn in early. It was the first night in over a week she'd made it home before ten. She wanted to take advantage of the extra rest time. No matter what happened with her love life, or lack thereof, tomorrow she had a date with an adorable strawberry blond boy who wanted to be like her (and Daddy) when he grew up.


	3. Career Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenny meets Rose Tyler and decided she'd be the perfect person for her dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many apologies for taking so long on this. Another long story, plus a lit of prompt requests resulted in this languishing. Hopefully this will be updated more regularly!

That morning was not a particularly good one for John and Jenny. They got up on time but then John had to help her find a few more props for her presents room and braid her hair. Normally he'd only have to be concerned with getting Jenny into her school uniform, but today's event called for a costume. "I mean, they call me the Doctor, but that's just because...well, I have two doctorates and that's my nickname at work. You know I don't really doctor people, right?" 

She was not yet a teenager but already her eye-rolls were epic. "Of course you don't. You teach people how things move. Physicals."

"Physics."

"And all about the moon and the stars and planets. But you just wear that brown suit and ties and sometimes a jumper and trousers, and that's boring. A doctor coat is way more interesting. Where's my doctor coat?"

He gave up. "And what would you have me wear?" He rolled his own eyes, realizing he was asking for advice from a six year old who regarded Hello Kitty and bedazzled jeans as the height of fashion.

"I dunno. Something not boring," Jenny said as she skipped off to find her doctor coat.

"Did you look in your playhouse?" John called, resigned.

"The TARDIS," she corrected. She had decided it was a house that travelled in space and time and she'd given it a special name. "Traveling Absolutely Really Delightfully in Space." He had to applaud her creativity. He wasn't looking forward to the day when she was too old for such play. She was already too big for them both to be in it together. 

She popped out of the TARDIS a couple of minutes later clutching a white coat. She slipped on over the skirt and blouse she wore. "Are you wearing that?" She indicated his brown suit. 

"Are you still on that? Yes, I am. And I still don't ever wear a white coat. Not that kind of Doctor. Now we're gonna be late for school, Jen. Front door, shoes, now!" Jenny rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.

"Where's my poster board?" Jenny demanded as she ran for the front door. John groaned. Why didn't they just put all of it by the front door last night?

It was on mornings like this John really missed Astrid. She had been so organized and on top of everything when he often felt like he was drowning in the details. 

Eventually the props were tossed haphazardly into the tote by the door, and Jenny was buckled into her seat. Driving down the street, stressed out from the morning rush, John got the distinct impression that Astrid was probably looking down from heaven, laughing at him. 

The street around the school was more congested than usual, with all the parents and other family members there for career day jockeying for parking spaces. He heard Jenny gasp in the back seat. "Aunt Donna's car! Yes!"

John grinned, her joy dissipating his stress. "She didn't know if she'd have to work, and she didn't want to disappoint you if she couldn't come. Surprised?" he asked. 

She answer with a joyful giggle and John couldn't help but join in. 

He finally found a space close by her classroom entrance, but he had to parallel park. They both quickly became exasperated at the extra time it took to do that, considering the fact that that the cars they were parking between had no clue about what they were doing. Finally, in a bit of panic that they wouldn't make it before the bell, Jenny grabbed the poster board and John grabbed the tote full of props and they jogged toward the door. 

"Hey! Hey there!" a voice called out behind John. 

"Jenny!" a little voice chimed in as well.

John heard the sound of clicking heels swiftly catching up and he looked behind him. 

Looking back on it later, John was unable to decide if he was breathless from the running or from the sight of the woman behind him.

*****  
"Mum, where is she?" Tony asked for what had to be the sixth time since Pete had parked the car. 

Tony was bouncing back and forth between Pete and Jackie on the sidewalk outside the classroom. He looked back to see pretty Ms. Oswald in her red dress, greeting Melody and her parents. "Why didn't we just pick her up?"

"We've been over this, Tony! She lives too far out of the way. She's on her way, just calm down!" Jackie admonished, then sighed when she realized Tony had become distracted by the sight of a car attempting to parallel park by the school. Then he spotted Rose's car pulling in across the street. 

Tony started bouncing up and down. "There's Rose!" 

"Great, then let's go in, yeah?" Pete suggested. 

"Waitin' for Rosie!" Tony informed him. 

"I'm taking in the props, Jacks," Pete said, gazing at the hyperactive six year olds gathering around the teachers. "Ms. Oswald surely earns her money." 

Tony mostly ignored the adults in favor of watching Rose approach and Jenny Noble struggling out of her car with her daddy. He saw Jenny, hurrying toward him with her poster and then some paper flying out of the tote Mr. Noble was carrying. Tony heard his sister's voice calling out as she picked up the errant paper. Jenny's dad didn't hear at first.

"Jenny!" Tony yelled. She stopped short and looked behind where Tony was pointing. Rose had caught up to Mr. Noble.

*****

Rose saw the paper flying and caught it before it could go out into the road. She looked it over and saw that it was pretty important. "Hey! Hey there!" She caught up with the tall bloke in the brown suit, as he whirled around to see her.

"Don't think you want to lose this," Rose said, handing the paper to John. Her fingers brushed his as she passed it off and both were very briefly gobsmacked. 

"Oh....thanks! Her report...that would be important," John said oh-so eloquently. "Hello. Thanks. I'm John Noble. Jenny's dad."

"Hello," Rose said, grinning. "I'm Rose Tyler, Tony's big sis. "

"Rose Tyler," John said. "Nice to meet you." 

They stood there for a few seconds, just grinning at each other, until Tony attacked her knees with a hug. She looked down and smiled fondly at her brother, ruffling his hair. "We'd better get in, I suppose. Nice to meet you," Rose said.

"Yeah," John said, continuing to be eloquent. In fact, he was cringing inwardly at his eloquence. She gave him a grin in which her tongue poked out and he decided that he might not be coming off quite as dimwitted as he thought he was. 

"Rosie, Rosie!" Tony insisted, tugging on her hand, oblivious to what they were saying.

Jenny, on the other hand, watched the whole moment transpire with raised eyebrows. Daddy was looking like how Mr. Pink looked when he was staring at Ms. Oswald when she wasn't looking. Wow, she thought, that's how that worked?  
She glanced back at Tony's big sister, who had a really pretty smile. And she looked really cool in her blue jacket and magenta top. When Jenny thought had thought of ladies her daddy could like, she hadn't even thought about big sisters, because everybody else's big sisters weren't quite as grown up as Tony's. 

They surely did stare at each other for a while longer than most people stared at each other. 

Her train of thought was interrupted by Ms. Oswald and Mrs. Jones calling the stragglers to their lines. She tugged on Daddy's hand and he gave Tony's sister a little wave and escorted Jenny to her line. 

*****  
Eventually the children gathered into their rooms and the family members went to the multipurpose room to find seats. 

John scanned the room quickly as Donna and her fiancé Lee sat down next to him. He gave them a distracted "hello", but was looking around. "What are you looking for, Spaceman?" Donna asked amused. 

John found who he was looking for after a couple of seconds. Rose Tyler sat two rows of little kid chairs over, next to a blonde woman and a ginger man. Donna still looked confused. 

Rose caught him looking and grinned, making the blush creep up his neck. He grinned, embarassed, and was relieved when the two classes processed in and sat on the floor in front of the audience. Ms. Oswald stepped up to the front of the room to start the presentations. 

They were quite entertaining. Melody Williams wanted to be an archeologist, sort of like Indiana Jones. John knew Melody's penchant for trouble, and had no doubts that she'd pull it off some day. Alfie Owens wanted to be a stand up comedian and a talk show host. He did five minutes of knock-knock jokes until Ms. Oswald had to gently remind him that someone else needed a turn. 

John was wiping tears of laughter when Jenny's name was called. Ms. Oswald looked relieved to turn the microphone over to someone else. 

Jenny nervously stepped up to the microphone. John sat up a bit straighter (as much as he could in the small chair) and smiled reassuringly at his daughter. Jenny locked eyes with him, smiled back, and began speaking.

John couldn't have been prouder. She performed the simple physics experiment with flair and explained about how her dad was a teacher who taught big people the kind of things she showed them, only a lot harder. It was a short speech, but a few sentences into it she was making eye contact with other people in the audience.

Rose Tyler watched her with a a huge smile on her face. She was one of the people with whom Jenny locked eyes, and she was impressed with the little girl. Rose glanced back a couple of rows to the girl's father. He sat back in his chair, arms crossed, a chuffed expression on his handsome face. She realized she wasn't just impressed with his daughter.

Then, she immediately tried to tamp down that reaction. Just last night she'd told her mother she really wasn't looking for anything. 

Of course, her mother told her it would happen when she least expected it. And to be open to it.

The audience clapped, and Jenny took a little bow, which caused her dad to chuckle. Rose chanced another look back. 

He caught her eye again. She turned back quickly, embarassed. Seriously, she was behaving as if she was a schoolgirl. She sighed.

Her mother had noticed, and she was giving Rose a curious look. Jackie was about to mention it when Tony's name was called. Distracted by fooling with her phone's video camera, Jackie didn't make her comment.

Judging from Jackie's smug little smile, Rose doubted she'd be let off the hook that easily. Jackie loved being right. 

Tony also performed admirably and only got the giggles once, because he made eye contact with Pete. Rose got a minor bout of the giggles as well, knowing the reason for her brother's.

John was watching Rose, not Tony. He was throughly charmed by her giggles, thinking it must have been some private joke between brother and sister. 

Donna smacked him lightly on the arm. John looked at her, surprised. She was smirking and she nodded her head in Rose's direction. John rolled his eyes and focused his attention on Tony again. Donna patted his arm a little more gently this time, grinning smugly.

Lovely, he thought. He'd never hear the end of it. Donna would be insufferable now. She loved being right. 

John glanced at Rose again. She was beaming at her brother. She had a dazzling smile. Her smile, he thought, might make it worth suffering through Donna's ribbing. 

The crowd burst into applause for Tony, which John joined. Rose glanced over her shoulder, and once again they made eye contact. Rose began to snicker as John gave her a quick thumbs - up.

*****  
The students in Ms. Oswald's class had their poster boards set up on their desks, and were waiting to show off their projects. Jenny was standing her desk, hands clasped behind her back, telling Rory and Amy Williams all about her future career plans. 

It took John's breath away, how grown up Jenny looked. He sighed, wishing, as he often did, that Astrid could see it. He felt an hand on his shoulder and turned to see his sister. "She knows," Donna said quietly. As always, she knew exactly what he needed to hear. He gave her a one armed hug, kissing her on top of the head. 

At the same time, Rose and her family entered the room, and Donna gave John a poke in the side. "Blimey, Donna!" John hissed.

"Hi! Donna Noble. I'm this one's sister," Donna chirped happily. 

"Blimey!" John muttered again.

Rose snickered. "Hi. Rose Tyler, I'm that one's big sister."

"Little brothers are a handful, aren't they?" Donna said with a laugh.

"They can be," Rose agreed as her little brother dashed over and dragged her off to his desk.

John turned to Donna, eyebrows raised incredulously. "What...what? Just what?"

Donna gave him the most innocent smile she could muster without bursting into laughter and said, "John, I had to be sure we weren't sending mixed signals." 

The glare John gave his sister had absolutely no mixed signals. 

"Daddy!" Jenny called. 

"I'm being summoned," John stated with as much dignity as he could reclaim. Donna was giggling as she followed him over to Jenny's desk, which undermined his effort.

"Did you like my speech?" Jenny chirped, eye sparkling. John couldn't resist. He scooped her up in a hug, lifting her off the floor. 

"You were brilliant, Ladybug."

Jenny wriggled in his arms. She whispered, "Could you put me down?" John chuckled ruefully. He'd hoped he had a few more years before Jenny was embarassed by him. He set her down. 

Jenny's eyes were darting around the room. She caught sight of Tony's sister smiling at them as she walked over. "Hi, Rose!" Jenny greeted her.  
"Daddy, did you see Rose?"

John murmured, "Miss Tyler. Be polite, Jen." Jenny looked disgruntled at her father.

Rose heard him admonishing Jenny and reassured her, "It's okay, I don't mind. I always look for my mum behind me when someone calls me that. You can call me Rose."

Jenny beamed. She looked between her dad and Rose. They looked nice standing together. He wasn't sure exactly what needed to happen but she was fairly sure they had to spend some time together and be friends. "Rose, can Tony come to my house to play?" Jenny asked. John immediately began sputtering.

"Jenny, I don't know if he...." John began.

"Jenny, I'll have to ask our mum. I don't know what his plans are," Rose hedged.

"You could bring Tony," Jenny blurted in a rush, gathering her courage. If they were supposed to be together then they actually had to be in the same place. She glanced at Daddy, who had big wide eyes and his eyebrow was doing that thing it did. But Rose was smiling. Jenny liked her smile. 

"I will talk to my mum about that, Jenny. Thank you for the invitation." Rose said, patting Jenny's back. 

Melody skipped over then and pulled Jenny away from John and Rose. John smiled nervously and tugged his ear. "She must get her tact from my sister," he commented.

Rose chuckled. "She's darling."

"Thank you. I get the feeling she might be playing matchmaker." 

"Really, now?" Rose smirked. "She loves her daddy very much, I can tell."

"Well...." John drawled. "It is her and me against the world, I suppose. We look out for each other." 

"You do a lovely job of it. Ummm...if Tony's free, I could set something up at some point..." Rose suggested.

"Oh, yes..certainly. Erm... I'll check the calendar and...call you?" 

John found himself exchanging phone numbers with a woman for the first time since college. 

Tony interrupted then, because Alfie was absolutely positive that Pete and Rose were actually secret government spies, and Tony was torn between lying about it and saying yes and setting the record straight. Rose returned to the rest of the Tylers.

Donna, seeing an opening, appeared as if like magic by John's side. "Hi. Any developments?" 

John really wished she'd stop smirking.

"What?"

"Had anything occurred? Happened? Transpired? Anything at all?" Donna demanded.

"I have asked Rose Tyler for her phone number. I have no idea what to do now." John felt his anxiety getting the better of him and he'd only had her number for a few minutes.

"You take out the phone, and hit the buttons for those numbers, in the order she gave them to you," Donna quipped.

"Smartarse," John grumbled. 

"Just helping you get your head out of your bum, Spaceman." 

John rolled his eyes. "Jenny invited Tony over for a play date. With the caveat that Rose brings him."

Donna beamed. "That's my girl."

Across the room, Rose and her parents were preparing to leave. Rose grinned beautifully and waved at John. 

John still had no idea how to get things started.

******

"So, what was going on with you and the bloke in the tight suit?" Jackie asked her daughter as they walked out of the school.

Rose rolled her eyes. "The bloke in the tight suit, Mum? Like you don't know who he is. You volunteer in that class three times a week and know all the kids. What do you know about him?" 

"Interested?"

"Don't answer a question with a question, Mum." 

Pete snorted laughter.

"Well, he's Jenny's dad, isn't he?"

"Not new information," Rose interjected.

"He's a widower. Jenny's mum passed on three years ago. Heart problems, I think it was." 

Rose gasped, "Oh, I didn't know that."

"Keeps to himself. He doesn't come to parents meetings, but that's probably because he'd be the only bloke. He probably should, somebody'd pull him."

Pete snorted laughter again. "Which is probably why he doesn't come."

"He comes off nice enough, but kind of standoffish. Y'know, not really wanting to mix in," Jackie added. "Or maybe he's just missin' his wife. It was fairly sudden, I heard. Maybe he's just shy."

Rose mused, "I think his daughter was playing matchmaker."

"Jenny would. She's a little corker, that one. Smart as a whip. I imagine she has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. She's a good little girl, though. Always helping the other kids. Big imagination," Jackie gushed with a smile. 

"Well....I have her Daddy's phone number and I think we're supposed to make a play date for the kids.." Rose was hit with a sudden bout of anxiety about making the call. "You know Tony's schedule better than I do. You'd better call."

"And set up a play date for my daughter and the bloke in the tight suit?" Jackie smirked.

"Mother..."

"Nope, I believe that needs to be your job," Jackie asserted.

Rose rolled her eyes. Her resolve from the night before was dwindling.  
Despite the warmth in his smile and the brightness of his eyes, Rose was gun shy. The situation with Jimmy had hurt. And what if Mum had a point? John might not be ready to begin a relationship, since he was probably pining for his late wife. Rose wasn't sure what to do.

And so, there was a bit of a stalemate. Rose didn't call John, John didn't call Rose, and life went on as usual.

Jenny Noble was not happy about this. Then, on the Monday of the next week, registration forms for the school football league went home. She knew Tony was signing up. Jenny then decided that football was going to be her sport.


	4. Goal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenny finds an ally in her matchmaking efforts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, apologizing for the really long wait. I hope to finish this one up soon!

"Since when do you play football? And a hello might be nice," John commented, puzzling over the registration form Jenny thrust into his hands. He had barely set foot in the Williams' house when Jenny pounced.

"Yeah, hi, Daddy, I really wanna try it. I think I'd be good at it. I'm fast," Jenny argued.

"I don't know, Jen....."

"Mels is playing for the first time, too. If you want I could take the girls to practice. It's Thursday nights," Amy interjected. 

"No!" Jenny blurted vehemently.

John admonished, "Jen!"

"Sorry," Jenny mumbled.

John turned back to Amy. "If anything I'll take Mels. You pick Jenny up three days a week as it is. I'll talk to you about it. I'm still not sure where this sudden interest in football is coming from." He gazed at Jenny, who was still looking at him expectantly. 

A few moments later John and Jenny were crossing the street, walking to their house. "So. Football?" he asked.

"I just wanna try it! You always say I need to try new things!"

"I was referring to broccoli and asparagus." John sighed. He wasn't sure why he was so hesitant, but then he realized it was because Thursdays and Fridays were his evenings with Jenny. Every other week day he got out of work late and Jenny was either with Amy or Donna and he barely saw her before bedtime. Now he'd be spending Thursday evenings at the school. 

"Daddy, I really want to try it. Please?"

John rolled his eyes, more at himself, than at her begging. He knew she'd be playing football. Why was he being churlish about it, anyway?

Because she's growing up, he thought. And she wants to do things independently of you. And it's only going to keep happening. 

Because it was already happening, just as it should. He sighed, then smiled. "I suppose we have some football gear to buy." He laughed as Jenny joyfully punched the air.

*****  
Jenny thought her daddy could really be frustrating sometimes. Instead of calling Rose about what football gear to get, he just asked Rory the next day when he picked her up. Jenny knew he hadn't called Rose about the play date yet. She just didn't get it. She knew they liked each other when she saw them staring. 

She had thought about going through Daddy's phone and finding the number herself. She'd done that to call Aunt Donna before. 

Of course, she'd been in trouble and was tattling on Daddy for fussing at her and she got in trouble with him and Aunt Donna hadn't been thrilled either. Not her best day ever. So maybe the "snatching Daddy's phone plan" would be saved in case there was an emergency. 

In the meantime she saw Tony and his mum on the playground. Mrs. Tyler was helping watch the children.

Jenny didn't know the word "ally", but she understood that Mrs. Tyler could be quite helpful.

*****

Jackie saw Jenny marching over in her direction. She barely hid a smirk. It had been a few days since career day, and Rose had not received a call, nor had she made one. Jackie saw that Jenny was on a mission, and decided that she'd give a bit of assistance. Matchmaking was a tough job for one six-year-old. I wouldn't hurt to give the stubborn adults a bit of a push. 

"Hello there, Sweetheart. And what are you up to this fine day?" Jackie greeted her with a smile.

"Hi. I'm on Tony's football team now," Jenny announced. 

"That's lovely! Well, I suppose I'll see you at practice."

With wide, innocent eyes Jenny declared, "My daddy's gonna take me. He said he'd stay the whole time and grade papers...or walk or something."

Just as innocently, Jackie said, "Oh, is he now? Mrs. Williams isn't taking you?"

"We're taking Melody."

"Oh, I see. That's Thursday night, right?" Jenny nodded. Jackie thought for a bit, (or pretended to) and then decided, "You know, Thursdays might be difficult for me. I might not be able to take Tony."

"Why not?" Tony blurted, looking shocked at the prospect of missing football practice.

"Maybe Rose would take him," Jackie suggested. "Even if she has work to do," Jackie confided, "I know Rose's boss. I'm sure she'll be free."

"Yeah!" Jenny agreed enthusiastically. Tony looked relieved. Melody was beckoning Tony and Jenny, so they ran off to play. 

Jenny looked back at Jackie, who gave her a smile and wink. 

******

The first football practice was the following Thursday, and Rose was swamped with work. But inexplicably Pete took on some of the responsibilities Rose had been expecting to take home. Jackie was insisting that she take Tony to practice. She brought some file folders in her bag after all, so she'd have something to look over while Tony ran around. 

It was a gorgeous evening, the first one after several days of rain, so Rose sat cross-legged on a bench with her work while Tony jogged off to the nearby field. It felt good to have the sun on her face. She spent too much time at her desk, she decided. Her mother had intimated that she'd probably need Rose's services for the rest of football season. While Rose couldn't commit to every practice, she thought she'd at least enjoy being outside for the ones she could attend. She opened her file folder and started making notes in the margins.

She was distracted by children running by. "Hi, Rose!" 

Rose looked up to see Jenny Noble stopped in front of her, looking adorable in an oversized t-shirt, shorts and a pair of socks with bulky shin guards. She was so tiny, her sock cuffs disappeared under her shorts, which extended past her knees. Jenny looked as if she was playing dress up in someone's football kit. Rose grinned. "Hi! Are you on Tony's team too?"

"Yeah!" Jenny chirped enthusiastically. "I got all my new stuff, see." She modeled her outfit with a twirl, making Rose chuckle. "My cleats are really fast."

Rose could remember a time when she believed that new shoes made her faster. "I'm sure they do. Shoe magic, you know."

Jenny gave her a brilliant grin. On the field Tony yelled, "Come on, Jenny!" 

"Gotta go!" Jenny took a few steps then remembered something she wanted to say. She turned back to Rose and announced, "My daddy's grading papers over there." She indicated some benches closer to the goal net. And with that, Jenny was off running to the field. 

Rose glanced over to where Jenny had pointed. On another bench, John Noble was fumbling around with a messenger bag and some folders. He had clearly lost something. He looked around, puzzled, rifling though his bag. 

Rose was torn. He hadn't called. They exchanged numbers, but he hadn't made a move. Of course, neither had she. She had contemplated it a few times, but work had gotten busy and there had been a lot of late nights, and really....

She'd chickened out. She thought she might as well call it like it was, she was a complete chicken. She could say she didn't try because she worried that he was still pining after his wife. But really, she had no idea of what to do to get things started. Jimmy had hurt her confidence just that badly.

Rose sighed, then thought about what exactly Jimmy had taken from her. Jimmy was getting to win, and the wanker didn't even know it. Well, that wouldn't do. She returned her file to her bag and stood up. She would at least say hello. That's all she'd have to do. 

*****

On the field, Jenny was waiting in line for her chance to kick the ball into the net. The coach, who was Mr. Smith, the computer teacher, was giving them instructions. She thought he looked funny in a football kit, he usually wore a suit and braces and a bow tie. But he was good at kicking the ball, she saw. She tuned him out when she noticed that Daddy was still on his bench and Rose was just standing by hers. Jenny had just about decided to fake needing a water break to go and alert Daddy to Rose's presence when Rose finally started walking toward his bench. 

"Jenny!" Mr. Smith called out. Jenny glanced back to see that it was her turn. She ran up, kicked the ball (it almost went in) and then tuned Mr. Smith right back out after collecting a high-five from him. Rose was walking toward her daddy. She punched the air.

"You didn't get it in," Tony said, confused by her joyful exuberance. 

"Nope!" Jenny chirped.

******

"Hello," Rose said hesitantly. John was still pawing through his bag.

"Hmm? Oh! Hello," he said distractedly. He realized then who had spoken to him. "Oh! Hello....sorry, just a tad distracted. I lost my..."

Rose looked down at her feet, then picked up an object from the ground.

"Your marking pen?" She handed him a red pen.

"That's what I was looking for. Well, you're a star, Rose Tyler. You saved me."

"That's me...superhero, y'know," Rose quipped.

"I thought you were actually a spy," John chuckled, remembering Alfie Owens at Career Day. 

Rose burst out laughing. "I don't think Tony ever convinced him I said wasn't!"

"Superhero, spy, whatever. You're a legend among six-year-olds." He stood up, smiling. He looked quite fit in his orange stripey jumper and jeans. Even if nothing else came of it, Rose decided she was going to enjoy spending the practice time talking to him. Rose didn't think she'd be getting any work done tonight.

John was utterly charmed by her laughter. He was a tad relieved that she was conversing with him at all, considering he chickened out and didn't call her. He'd never been confident around women. He also never thought he'd ever have to be again. 

Rose was lovely, though, with that radiant smile. He decided if nothing came of if, he'd at least enjoy the football season. He also decided he wasn't getting any grading done. 

*****

A quarter of the way through the practice, Jenny chanced a quick glance in Daddy's direction. He was talking to her! He was also putting his papers away! That was more satisfying than a goal kicked in. 

The ball rolled up to her and bumped the side of her foot. She kicked it away absently and Tony took it up the field with Melody on his tail. Jenny stopped staring at her dad when she realized she'd better run, too.

*****  
"So...." John began. "Fancy a walk?" Once he had his papers stowed away they began walking around the field.  
They both were too nervous to sit still so motion seemed like a good idea. 

John watched Tony dodge in and out of the other children trying to take the ball. "He's a speedy one!" he commented.

"He was born to kick a ball, according to my dad, at least. Tony's played since he was three. My mate Mickey coached him."

They watched as the ball went past Jenny and she half-heartedly kicked at it. "Jenny, on the other hand.... I think this might be the first time her toe has come in contact with a ball. We...were never really a sports family. We are....erm...more of a geeky sci-fi kind of family. Honestly don't know where this is coming from."

Rose smirked. She thought she might have an idea why Jenny suddenly discovered a desire to play football. "I'm sure Jenny will catch on, eventually," was her only comment. 

"Erm...got a bit of a confession to make," John mumbled.

"Oh?" Rose asked. 

John kept his eyes squarely ahead as he confessed. "I did mean to call you. About the play date, that is."

"Meant to call you as well," Rose murmured. 

"Really? Erm.. Not that it would have been weird or anything, really, it would have been just the opposite. It would have been nice, because..."

"Why?"

"Because I am really no good at...this...calling women, not that it would have been for a date, but still, I have always been rubbish at...I'm babbling, aren't I? Donna calls me the 'Oncoming Gob.'"

Rose chuckled. "You were babbling a bit. Just a tad. That's okay. I'm the same way. I chickened out."

"And so did I. We are chickens together," John proclaimed.

"Why were we even nervous about it?" Rose asked, smiling. "You're not intimidating me at all."

"I might be...a little intimidated." Rose gaped at him, shocked. "I don't know, you might have crazy ninja skills or something. Being a....spy and all." John smirked.

"I understand. Superhero spy ninjas can be scary." There was a best of silence before both of them burst out laughing together.

As they calmed, John chuckled, "Y'know, we're here together now, without phones, so there's no awkward phone call to worry about," John commented.

"I noticed that," Rose agreed with a tongue in teeth grin. 

John's heart did a happy flip. "We'd love to have Tony over," he said with a grin. Then he took a deep breath and dove in. "One condition, though...."

"Oh? What would that be?" Rose asked, eyebrow raised. There was a pause, as they locked eyes.

"I'd love for you to bring him. Maybe we could get something to eat and the kids could play....."

"Yes, that would be great," Rose nodded. 

"It's a date. A play date, that is," he stammered. "Or whatever kind of date makes you comfortable....if that is something you'd be interested in.....at any rate...."

Rose stopped the oncoming gob by agreeing, "It's a date. We'll figure it out what it is later."

"Brilliant idea," John said, beaming.

*****

Across the field, Jenny did not have her eye on the ball. Her eyes were squarely focused on the scene playing out at the edge of the field. Her daddy was grinning from ear to ear. Jenny hadn't seen that kind of smile in ages. She wasn't sure of what was going on, but Rose was smiling, too. Things appeared to be looking up.

Later on, the Nobles walked the Tylers back to their car. Jenny tried to play it cool but couldn't resist a little triumphant jump when Rose and her dad announced a play date for Saturday. It was about time.


	5. Play Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and John (and the children) finally have their play date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks all for sticking with the story! I appreciate all the comments!

As soon as John had an exhausted Jenny bathed and tucked into bed for the night, it hit him.

He'd asked a woman to his house. He, who had not had an actual date in over a decade, had skipped straight to asking a woman he'd just met to his house.

For a play date. But the point still stood. 

Cue the panic attack, he thought.

Indeed, he could feel the wave of panic beginning to crest so he did what he'd always done in times of stress.

John called his sister.

It was after ten, which didn't occur to John until Donna's phone was ringing in clear violation of her "if it's after ten, somebody better be bleeding" rule. He was about to hang up when she answered.

"What? What's wrong? Did something happen to you or Jenny?" 

John cut her off. "Donna! No, nothing like that."

Donna hissed, "I am trying to have some alone time with Lee...."

"I didn't need to know that."

Donna groused, "Apparently you didn't need to call, either. Now, what's the emergency?"

"I invited a woman to my house," John said in a voice full of dread. 

"Wha...John, seriously, you're calling me because...wait!" Donna's tone became teasing, and in John's opinion, quite patronizing. "Is this the lady from Jenny's school? You work fast, sunshine."

He could hear Lee in the background asking if it was the lady she'd told him about. He thought he heard a little cheer from Lee when she confirmed it. John rested his head against the foyer wall. "It's a play date!" Donna roared with laughter. "Oi, stop it, you! She's bringing her little brother over to play with Jenny!"

"Or is he bringing his big sister over to play with you?" Donna quipped, causing Lee to laugh loudly in the background. 

"Donna! Knock it off! I'm serious! I need to talk to you!" John protested.

After getting herself under control, Donna apologized, "Sorry, m'giddy! I'm happy for you, John."

"S'just a play date, Donna. I'm not marrying her or anything."

Donna chuckled. "Who knows what will happen, yeah? Now, why do I need to talk you down from the ceiling?"

John leaned against the wall, looking into his living room. "I don't know. I'm anxious. I asked her over for the play date and I said I'd get dinner and that implies she'll be here for quite a while. What if it's a miserable failure and we don't hit it off and....."

"Whoa, Sunshine, slow down. Look, the whole point of the day is for Tony and Jenny to play, right?"

"Welllll...yeah," John agreed. "That and I think Jenny might be playing matchmaker."

"Y' think, Spaceman? Glad you noticed. If you're that nervous about it, you don't have to be at the house. There's a perfectly nice park nearby, and restaurants all over. If things are going well....then invite Tony to play at the house. You two will have the best buffers ever. You'll be so busy with the kids, you won't have to worry about it getting awkward."

"But, what if..."

"John, enough. Don't you dare talk yourself out of this. You don't have to marry her. Just make a friend. Just try, that's all you have to do," Donna pleaded. "Look, I'll text you, and if you need a rescue I'll help you out. But I don't think you will."

"You seem awfully confident," John groused.

"One of us has to be."

John sighed, and his eyes locked onto the picture in the middle of the mantle. It was of John, Astrid and a very little Jenny, taken not long before Astrid's heart condition became too serious to ignore. At that same moment, Donna commented quietly, "I'm pretty sure Astrid would want you to."

John closed his eyes, but he could still recall how she looked that day. Navy dress, red lipstick, beautiful smile. She'd been tired at the photo shoot, and he often wondered if he'd paid close enough attention, maybe he could have realized what was going on with her. John's eyes burned with unshed tears.

"John," Donna murmured gently. For all of her brashness, Donna always knew when to be gentle, and John loved her for it. "Just make a friend. That's all. Have fun."

"I can do that," he agreed, sighing. "Sorry, get back to Lee. Thanks."

"You alright?" Donna asked.

"M'always alright," John muttered.

"John, if it's upsetting you this much...maybe you do need to call it off. But just think of this. If it was you gone, and Astrid here, would you want her to find some happiness?"

"Of course I would, what a question!" John exclaimed, peeved.

"I think she would want you to try. Actually, I know she would. We talked a lot before...anyway.....in the immortal words of Yoga, or Yoda or whatever, don't try, do." Donna misquoted. John chuckled.

"You insult Jedi everywhere. Okay... I get the point. I'll call you if I need you." 

John rang off shortly thereafter, trying not to think of conversations Astrid and Donna might have had. 

"Okay," he said aloud to the empty room. "Make a friend. That's all. Brilliant plan."

*******

It took a little persuasion but Rose agreed to stay until after Tony's bath to read him a chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. His eyelids were drooping as Cho Chang cried through her disastrous date with Harry as she pined over the late Cedric Diggory. She closed the book and kissed her brother's forehead. "Don't go yet, Rosie," Tony mumbled sleepily.

"You need to sleep so you can get up for school, and before you know it Saturday will be here and we can play with Jenny. Sound good? You like playing with Jenny?"

"Yeah, but I never goed to her house before. She's funny and she likes to play Star Wars and Avengers. She's not very good at football yet, though."

Rose chuckled. "She'll get better at it. You can show her some football moves, yeah?"

Tony yawned. "I guess. Are you gonna be friends with her daddy now?"

Rose paused for a second, taken off guard by Tony's question. "I suppose so," she answered. She had realized Jenny was lobbying hard for it, and apparently Tony was also, in his own quiet way. "He's a very nice person."

Tony nodded sleepily, eyes half closed. She kissed her brother's forehead and turned out the reading lamp, bathing the room in the muted light of his nightlight. 

Jackie was in the living room waiting for Rose. Rose sighed, realizing that she was not likely to get home soon. 

"Did Tony have a good football practice?" Jackie asked, far too innocently for Rose's liking.

"He did," Rose answered. 

"Who's on the team this year?"

Rose was fairly sure she could see a smirk on Jackie's face, illuminated by the television.

"Well, you're there nearly every day, you'd know the names better than I would."

"I suppose. Was Jenny there?" 

Rose rolled her eyes and plopped down onto the sofa next to Jackie. "I've always hated Twenty Questions, Mum. Just say it. Ask all about Jenny's dad, I know you're dyin' to!"

Rose could tell Jackie was having great fun with the situation. Jackie asked, "So how's Jenny's dad?"

"He's lovely," Rose said, with an identical smirk. "We talked. I believe the pair of us are being subjected to some matchmakin'."

"You might be," Jackie agreed with a coy smile. "Are you interested?"

Rose huffed an impatient breath. "Yes, Mum, I am. It's probably the fastest I've ever taken to someone. I think I was interested before I realized his daughter was tryin' to set us up. And I like him, I do."

"You sound like you're tryin' to convince yourself," Jackie noted.

"No, he's a lovely person, or at least he seems to be. I don't know. I thought Jimmy was lovely, too...."

"No, you thought Jimmy was exciting and dangerous and it was a thrill. Completely different," Jackie argued.

Rose sighed. They'd argued this point many times when Rose was living with Jimmy, and as much as she hated to admit it, Mum was right.  
Rose nodded in agreement, staring at the Coronation Street drama playing out on the screen. 

"Love, you've had three years of beratin' yourself up over this. You've grown up a lot. You've changed since then. You can trust your judgment, Rose. Just...make a friend, if nothin' else."

"He's invited Tony and me over for a play date with Jenny Saturday," Rose informed her mum.

"Blimey, that's fast!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Well, way to negate everything you just said about my judgement, Mum. S'just a play date. For the kids."

"Quite right," Jackie murmured with a nod, keeping her eyes on the television. 

"And I intend to tread carefully. There's a child involved. And....well, I'm sure it's not been all that long since he lost his wife. Oh, God, Mum, what if he just pines after her and it gets awkward and......" She imagined a scene not unlike the one she'd just read to Tony. 

"Just make a friend. S'all. No one says you have to marry him."

"Well, I'm not planning on it, blimey, Mum!"

"There you go, then. I'll have Tony ready whenever you need him. If you want, I could text you and check up on how things are going. If you need me to send you a rescue call, I'm available."

Rose considered it. "All right. And if it's going well?"

"Then I'll home turning cartwheels of joy."

Rose snorted. "I won't be available to drive you to A & E when you break your neck."

"Your dad will be home. I'll be fine."

The Tyler women shared a laugh as the actors on the telly endured yet another soap opera tragedy. 

******

Saturday dawned cool and sunny. In her haste to start the day, Jenny saw the sunrise. John found her standing by the French doors outside, watching the pink and orange tinted clouds. She was smiling and eating a pop tart. She was a gorgeous little girl. As soon as he'd seen her first smile as a newborn he knew he was in trouble. 

John ran his hand through his hair, making it stand up more. "You're up early for a Saturday," he commented. 

"How long till eleven?" Jenny asked.

"Count it up," John yawned, reaching for the coffee pot.

Jenny counted in her head, proud of her time telling. When she had mastered telling time to the minute halfway through kindergarten John had started working with her on elapsed time. She was constantly announcing how much time they had left in a certain activity because she could. "Four and a half hours!" Jenny moaned.

"You decided to get up before the sun," John reminded her. He was rewarded with an Epic Jenny Eye Roll.  
"Not my fault we can't travel ahead four and a half hours."

"We could in the TARDIS. If I could just get it to work for real," Jenny reminded him seriously.

John grinned. That little blue playhouse from Grandad Wilf and Granna Sylvia had been well worth the money. It took up a large amount of space in the guest room, but Jenny loved it. 

"I wanna show Tony and Rose the TARDIS! I think they'd like it," Jenny commented happily. 

"Wellll..." John began, ruffling his hair absently, "we're going to the park, then out to eat, then...."

"Back here," Jenny stated.

"If everything is going well and you're still having fun," he cautioned.

"We will be, Daddy! Why can't we just go here anyway?"

John had texted Rose the night before and she seemed quite amenable to the plans. He suspected she also wanted to gauge the situation before coming back to his house. "Rose and I talked..or texted....last night, and that's what we agreed to."

"But Dad....we'll have fun! I'll bet you'll have fun with Rose! Why do we have to....." Her voice was become quite whiny.

"We don't have to do anything at all, Jenny," he warned.

"I....but....okay....." Jenny looked deflated. "But we'll have fun. It'll be okay!"

John couldn't stand the disappointment in Jenny's eyes, so he got down on his knees, eye to eye with his daughter and said gently, "Jen, love, I think you'll have fun too. But Rose and I just met. I want her to be comfortable with idea of spending time with us before she comes here."

"She will be! She's going to love us. I just know it, Daddy."

He kissed Jenny's forehead. "Love, I think you have a wish for what you think might happen here today. Am I right?"

Jenny nodded. Her eyes were starting to burn with tears and she didn't want to speak and give it away. 

"Are you hoping something about Rose?"

Jenny nodded again, but this time she swallowed the tears and answered him. "Yeah. I do. I like her. I want you to like her." Her voice trailed off. The 'getting Daddy to maybe marry her' part was starting to sound really dumb in her head, but she found herself spilling all anyway. "I wanted you to love her and be happy and maybe even marry her." She looked down abruptly, the tips of her ears starting to turn pink.

John hugged his daughter close, suspecting that she was embarrassed now and probably didn't want him to see her face. "Ladybug, I am happier now. I still miss Mummy but I am happier. So don't worry about that. You don't need to worry about all that grown up stuff. I can take care of that."

"We take care of each other," Jenny said stubbornly. 

"Yes, yes we do. And we do a fantastic job of it," he assured Jenny. He sat down on the floor cross legged and pulled Jenny into his lap, briefly lamenting how big she'd gotten. "But that's not how this works, honey. People usually don't fall in love and marry that quickly. And also usually not because the children in their lives push them into it. I do like Rose. She's very nice and I think I'd like to be her friend. But, Jenny, that doesn't mean we'll marry or even fall in love. We might just be friends. Maybe even best friends, who knows? The point is.....we have to decide that on our own schedule. Okay, Jen?"

Jenny sniffled a bit, snuggling in close to John. She nodded and whispered, "Okay."

John hugged her tightly, and he felt the sting of tears about to fall. He hated to dash the illusion she had made up. And honestly, he thought Rose was lovely. He could imagine becoming involved with her, but at the same time he didn't want Jenny's hopes to be dashed. Better to temper her enthusiasm now than to devastate her later if it didn't work out. 

He sighed. She'd probably be devastated anyway. He hoped this was a good idea.

******

Four and a half hours crawled by, until of course the last ten minutes when they realized they needed to actually get ready to go. Then time tricked them and sped up. They barely made it on time. They were parking their car just as Rose pulled in her sporty blue VW bug. Before he realized it his speedy daughter was dashing up the sidewalk to Rose's car. 

"Jenny!" he shouted. She looked back at him, rolling her eyes.

"I'm on the sidewalk!" she yelled back.

Rose got out of her car. John gave Jenny a look and muttered, "You and I will talk later."

"Hi, honey!" Rose greeted Jenny. She smile up at John. "How are you today?"

"Trying to keep up with Miss Enthusiasm," John quipped. "Ready for all this?"

"Any excuse for a playground and chips," Rose said, smiling with her tongue caught between her teeth. The sight made John's heart speed up pleasantly. "Let's go!"

"Allons-y, Daddy!" Jenny called.

"Oh, in French," Rose commented. "You're so impressive."

"We are so impressive," he agreed with a smirk. As they followed the kids to the playground, he chuckled and added, "It's the only French phrase we know." Rose joined him in laughter. 

The kids were already halfway to a large plastic pirate ship play set when they stopped and looked back at the adults. "C'mon!" Tony yelled. They followed.

"Arrrr, matey, you'll be walkin' the plank once I get there," John growled, to Rose's surprised laughter. "Fierce pirates usually don't get laughed at. I must be a rubbish pirate!"

"You're an....entertaining pirate," Rose allowed. John snorted laughter.

"And you're a diplomatic woman," he said with a smirk.

****  
Rose discovered that given the right circumstances John Noble was a great big six year old. He really made quite the entertaining pirate captain, and Jenny throughly enjoyed playing the part of first mate. John was animated, almost manic, happily playing with the kids. 

Rose found herself relaxing and going with it, playing along. She drew the line at playing the damsel in distress, however. So Jenny dubbed Rose the Pirate Queen of the High Seas. The Pirate Queen had quite the stick-sword battle with her younger brother, to John's and Jenny's amusement.

She'd always played with Tony, but she'd never let herself get quite as excited about it as John did. She realized how closed off she'd let herself become over the past three years. How much she kept to herself, and how when she was with a group, friends or family, she often felt alone. Not now. Right now she was in the moment, fully present, and it was wonderful. 

Rose let the call from Jackie go to voicemail.

****

When lunch rolled around a bit later, they walked to a nearby chip shop. John discovered that Rose was a chip connoisseur. She had sampled the wares at every chip shop within the area and had opinions on all of them. Some were too limp, some too crispy, some just right. She burst out laughing at John's suggestion that she must be the "Goldilocks of the chip shops." He was also rather taken aback by the sheer amount of vinegar she used, wondering how she could taste the chips at all. Dubious condiment choices aside, he found himself totally captivated by Rose and her chip rating system. His phone vibrated but he ignored it.

John was captivated by her smile, as well, and her sense of humor. He smiled at her across the table as Jenny and Tony prattled on about the Avengers, and she smiled back. He felt that tight grip of loneliness that had been constricting his heart for so long begin to loosen. 

*****

Lunch was over much too soon, and they found themselves in a awkward situation. They had the perfect excuse to end the play date there and maybe schedule another one some time. Or they could carry on with the plans to head back to John and Jenny's house. 

John decided he really didn't want the afternoon to end.

As he was thinking that, Rose had come to the conclusion that there was no point in ending the afternoon. 

John broke into her reverie, "Welll....Rose, I was wondering if....you both still were wanting to stop by the house. Jenny and I are free all day, and....."

"Oh, yes! You have to come see the TARDIS!" Jenny cried.

"Oh. Well, that sounds intriguing. What do you say, Tony?" Rose asked, trying to play it cool.

Jenny gave Tony a very pointed look. He wasn't sure exactly why she was staring at him. He nodded and answered, "Okay."

"If it's not too much trouble, we'd love to," Rose agreed with a smile.

"Brilliant!" John smiled. Jenny started skipping ahead of him happily. 

"What's a TARDIS?" Tony asked.

"It's my spaceship! We travel through space and time in it! And we have big adventures, right, Daddy?"

"Absolutely!" John answered. He turned to Rose and said quietly, "It's her playhouse. My mum and grandad gave it to Jen for Christmas a year ago and...."

"It's a time machine, Dad!" Jenny groaned. 

"And it's absolutely a time machine," John said, grinning. Rose giggled.

They walked through a grove of trees in the park that were just starting to change color. Across the road Jenny spied a row of small shops and cried, "Dad! The shop window dummies. That one moved! It's the living plastic again!"

John winked at Rose and played along. "Again? Thought we got rid of those! Do you have any ninja skills, Rose? I think we'll need you and Tony this time."

Rose grinned from ear to ear, delighted to be included in their game. "I'm not sure it qualifies as ninja skills, but I did take gymnastics for six years. And you know what? When I was in school....." She paused dramatically as hung on every word. "... I got the bronze!" Jenny's eyes widened, much to Rose's amusement. She glanced at John, who was chuckling.

"And she's a spy," Tony interjected.

"Those dummies won't know what hit 'em," John commented. They were approaching their cars. 

"We're gonna have to get back to the TARDIS, Dad! Allons-y!" Tony and Jenny ran ahead, laughing loudly.

"Guess we'd better run, Rose Tyler!" John announced. Without thinking he extended his hand, and equally without thought, Rose placed her hand in his. It just seemed the thing to do. They ran.

*****

Several blocks away Donna checked her phone and saw that John had not responded to her rescue text. She showed the phone to Lee, and then immediately high-fived him. As much as she would have loved a respite from wedding planning with Sylvia, she was glad her little brother seemed to be on his way to happiness, finally, after so long.

Six blocks away in the opposite direction, Jackie couldn't help but notice that her call to Rose had gone directly to voicemail. She grinned from ear to ear, giving Pete the thumb's up. He proceeded to make dinner reservations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up: the play date continues at the Noble house and their relationship progresses over time.....


	6. Playdate in Time and Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their play day continues at John's house. John and Rose make a bit of progress in their fledgling relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always, for sticking with this bit of fluff. I appreciate it!

Rose thought she might already be halfway in love with Jenny. She knew she liked Jenny, of course, but now that she was getting to know the little girl she decided it might as well be love. Jenny took great joy in showing off her playhouse and spinning tales of adventure she'd made up on the spur of the moment.

Tony, who was normally shy and reserved anywhere that wasn't a football field, brashly added creative details to Jenny's story with excited fervor. He came up with idea of them being attacked by cat aliens who were nurses. Rose marveled at the two children's creativity. Rose hood they could spend more time together. The children would love each other's company. And Rose could not deny that she wanted to spend more time with John. 

John was wonderful with Jenny. He was hilarious, making her laugh as he improvised the story with the kids and her. It felt so wonderful to be lighthearted for the first time in such a long while.

It looked as though Mum had been right. Of course, she'd be insufferable once she found out, but it would be worth it, Rose supposed.

*****

John took in the scene playing out before him. 

Rose was in the TARDIS, probably uncomfortably, but it didn't matter. Her head poked out of the window, and she grinned from ear to ear. Jenny handed her the little blue screwdriver from her toolbox.

"It's not just a screwdriver. It makes noises and unlocks stuff and a bunch of other things. Dad says it's..sounded...son...." Jenny struggled for the word.

"Sonic? That's the word for making sounds," Rose suggested.

"Yeah! Sonic Screwdriver! Okay, you better take it, Rose, and get us outta here 'cause the cat nurses are coming," Jenny warned, pointing at six stuffed animals placed near the playhouse door.

"Oh, wow, watch out!" Rose agreed.

Tony bounced in, pushing past John. He joined Rose in the playhouse, yelling, "Let's get outta here!"

John watched it all, rendered speechless by Rose's brilliant smile. Her attention was focused on Jenny and Tony, totally into the game.

He recalled the times he'd brought Jenny to work and endured the flirting from women (the French associate professor in particular) as soon as they saw him with his daughter. His friend Jack had once told him that women found the so-called 'dad thing' hot and he should work it for all it was worth. John had found the idea repugnant, and besides, Reinette would flirt with him and ignore Jenny totally. 

Rose genuinely liked his daughter. He saw it how she smiled at her. Rose was listening to her, playing alongside her. 

John felt relaxed and happy in a way he hadn't felt in years. Donna was always telling him she missed his joy. It seemed to be returning, little by little, as he spent more time with Rose. Donna had been right. He wouldn't tell her that, of course.  
Well, unless she forced it out of him. She was good at that.

******

Later on the four of them were in the kitchen for snacks and Rose seemed to fit seamlessly into the routine, helping him with the kids. It had been a long time since he had felt like part of a team. 

Jenny wanted to race Tony in Mario Kart so John sent them into the living room to play. He found himself alone with Rose for the first time since they'd walked at football practice. They both sank into kitchen chairs and gave identical exhausted sighs. He caught her eye and they both started laughing. "I thought I had a lot of energy," John commented.

"I think they feed off of each other," Rose laughed. A particularly loud squeal rang out from the living room.

"They get along really well. Jenny's a friendly girl but she doesn't have a lot of best friends. Girl drama bores her. Melody Williams doesn't put up with girls drama either, so they get along. Tony's interested in a lot of the same things as Jenny. You have to really impress her to get into her inner circle," John told her. "I think she really likes Tony.....and you."

"She's brilliant," Rose smiled. "You've done a fabulous job with her, John." John smiled.

"Thanks...I wonder sometimes," he murmured.

She looked up at John through her lashes, deciding that she'd go all in. "Don't wonder about it. You are. I really like her. I like her dad, too."

A grin spread across John's face. "Wellll.... I'm pretty impressed with Tony's sister." They held eye contact for a few seconds. Rose grinned back and his eyes flicked briefly to her lips, then back to her eyes. They were both fairly certain that they looked rather barmy staring and smiling, but it seemed the thing to do. John leaned forward, and Rose leaned forward, awkwardly, with the table between them. Another shout from the living room startled them both. 

John cleared his throat. It had been a very long time since he'd felt this awkward. "Rose, do you....want to order some pizza or something and eat here? I'm not really needing to be anywhere and....if you're not in a hurry to..."

Rose wasn't interested in ending the day. "Well, if it's no trouble. Pizza's on me, through."

"Oh, I can...."

"I insist. You paid for lunch. I mean it. And you're sure we're not taking away from your time with Jenny?"

"You were the only plans we had for the day.....oh, wow, that sounded slightly creepy!" They chuckled. "No, you're not interfering with anything. We're having a wonderful time."

"So are we," Rose agreed. She glanced back at the kitchen door and asked, "Did you realize there's some matchmaking going on here?" 

John nodded. "I suspected as much. I talked to Jenny before we met up with you. My daughter has a huge imagination, as you can tell. I was concerned that she was going to.....imagine something that wasn't going to happen, and she'd be disappointed."

"Do you think she will be?" Rose asked. "Disappointed, that is?" She gave him a small smile. It'd been a while since she flirted this openly.

John blinked. He opened his mouth as if to speak and closed it again. Just when Rose was thinking she'd gone too far, he said, "No. I don't think she will be."

"I agree," Rose answered with a nod and a tongue touched smile.

His hands were shaking a bit, he noticed. He was fairly sure Rose had noticed as well. Nerves were threatening to overwhelm him. He walked over to her side of the table and she stood up. "Full disclosure, Rose. I'm rubbish at this...with women. You're the first one I've actually spent time with, alone, in years. I've never been good at it."

Rose confided, "Would it help you to know I'm fairly rubbish at it too? You're the first man I've spent any time alone with....in years. I work a lot. I have friends, but dating hasn't been on my radar. Until I met you. And that was before I knew Jenny was trying to get us together."

He grinned. "I think it was the same for me." There was a pause in which both were fairly sure something should happen. Finally, he added, "I don't want to rush things but, umm..well..." His eyes flicked down to her lovely lips.

The kitchen door slammed open and a small Tony shaped projectile burst in. "Rosie, Rosie...can you do Rainbow Road for me!"

Jenny burst in right after him, taking in the sight. She wasn't sure but they certainly looked like Ms. Oswald and Mr. Pink that one time she'd come around the corner too fast and caught them staring at each other just like Daddy and Rose. She gave Tony a death glare. 

Rose noticed and started laughing quietly. She glanced at John who looked flustered. 

"Aren't you comin', Rosie?" Tony asked, oblivious.

"Sure," Rose told Tony. 

"C'mon," Jenny growled. Jenny's tiny fierce voice amused Rose. 

Jenny pulled Tony out of the kitchen kitchen, rather abruptly. Rose grinned at John, eyebrow cocked mischievously.

"Whatever you were planning on doing we can try again later. Okay?"

His mouth opened and closed, and his own eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hairline. He stammered, "That would be...brilliant."

******  
After a while Tony and Jenny grew tired of Rose beating them at Rainbow Road, but she and John were still going strong, laughing loudly and bouncing around as they made their cars flip and jump. "Alright, I give! I always veer off and explode! What am I doin' wrong?" John groaned, throwing his hands up in exasperation. His car leapt into the air and veered off the track. 

"Here, here...do this...." Rose placed her hands over his and helped him guide his remote. Her car had already lapped his so she wasn't concerned with losing. 

John felt her hands on his, and suddenly he really didn't care whether Bowser's kart stayed on the track or not. It could float away into oblivion as long as Rose Tyler kept holding his hands. 

*****  
Late afternoon faded into early evening. They had ordered pizza and watched a movie together in the living room. Pizza in front of the telly was not something Tony did often and he was giddy at the prospect.

"Don't expect Mum to allow this at home," Rose warned.

"We only do it for special times," Jenny chirped happily. "Like when Daddy's done grading final exams!"

"That is a special occasion," Rose agreed. "I'm impressed that Tony and I are considered as special as that!"

"Uh-huh, you are. My play dates never last all day," Jenny confided. "You two must be having fun too. Are you?"

John smirked at Rose. She did that thing with her tongue when she grinned that made the butterflies in his stomach wake up. "I'm having a wonderful time, Jenny," Rose answered.

"S'been a lovely day," John added.

"I can't hear the Lego Movie," Tony complained. 

Hint taken, Rose and John polished off their pizza slices in companionable silence as the kids laughed over the movie. About midway through, John stretched out his arm across the back of the couch. Rose couldn't hold back the giggle.

"M'not exactly smooth, am I? Told you I was rubbish," John told her in a whisper. 

"You're just fine," Rose whispered back. After a second's hesitation she rested her head on his shoulder.

Jenny, who wasn't as absorbed in the movie as they thought she was, noticed it and let out a contented sigh and a giggle. 

*****  
As the Lego heroes prepared to go into their final battle, John and Rose began cleaning up the pizza boxes and taking the garbage to the kitchen. Jenny and Tony lay on the rug, both intently watching the movie as they left the room

Rose checked her watch. "I'll have to take him home soon. We've had a full day and he'll be dozing off on your floor if we stay much longer. Thanks, John, it's been a really lovely day."

"It has been. I'd love to do it again sometime, if you'd like."

"Oh, I would, definitely," she smiled.

John's heart did a happy little flip. He slipped his hands into hers. "I was...wondering, possibly, if you'd like to do something else....without the kids..with you and me, on our own some evening...soonish? I love my daughter and your brother is terrific.... but, y'know....time to get to know one another alone without kids....and all that...." John began to ramble nervously, pulling at his ear.

Rose was completely charmed. She squeezed his hands. "I think that would be lovely."

"Ah...right then...we'll do that! Are...you free this week? Or next weekend?"

"I have to go out of town with dad for three days, for work. I'll probably be at football practice...but I'm free Saturday."

"Their first football game is that morning, but afterwards, perhaps that evening....."

She grinned broadly. "That would be perfect," she agreed.

"Brilliant!" 

Once again, they stood there, both knowing that something else probably should be happening, but both were stricken with a minor case of nerves. Finally, Rose suggested, "Were you interested in picking up where we left off before my brother burst in?" Rarely was she ever so forward, but it seemed as though she needed to push things along a bit. 

John stared at her lips then forced himself to make eye contact with Rose. "I think we should," he murmured. He leaned down, she stretched up to meet him halfway. Before their lips connected, he muttered, "I don't think I'll stop, even if we're interrupted...."

Rose grinned. "I don't think Jenny will allow an interruption." 

John nodded in agreement, then he kissed her softly. He'd forgotten how good it felt, but it was rapidly coming back to him as his lips pressed gently against hers. He sighed into the kiss, letting go of her hands and gliding them up her arms.

Rose loved the gentle, undemanding press of his lips, the feel of his hands on her arms. She clutched at his jumper with one hand as the other played with the hair on the back of his neck. She captured his full lower lip between hers and heard the soft rumble of a quiet moan from his chest. He broke the kiss to breathe, leaning his forehead against Rose's.

"Wow," he sighed.

Rose giggled then agreed, "Wow, indeed."

"I apologize for being out of practice. It's been three years for me," he explained.

"It's been just as long for me. I think we'll get the hang of it. We're off to a good start, at any rate."

"I want to practice more," he agreed. "With just you...of course...if you're...amenable."

"I am," Rose whispered. 

Equally quietly, he asked, "I wasn't pushing too much too soon? See, I'm rubbish at this and I'd probably not know unless you told me."

Rose recalled that first, forceful kiss between her and Jimmy Stone, back when she though his brashness was thrilling. This had been nothing like that. This had been gentle and so tender, leaving her wanting more. It had been electric, that brief kiss. "No, you're not rubbish at this. It was perfect. I mean it. I know rubbish. It's not you."

John filed that fact away. He didn't want to bring it up yet, but he felt there was more she wasn't ready to share. He was shocked that it had been as long for her as it was for him. Her eyes had looked so sadly sincere when she had told him he wasn't rubbish. "Wellll..." He began.

"We'd better check on the kids. But....I'm looking forward to next Saturday. S'gonna be a long wait."

"This is when Jenny's time machine would come in handy," John commented.

Mindful of the children, they reluctantly left the kitchen and joined Jenny and Tony in the living room.

*****

John and Jenny walked Rose and Tony back to her little VW bug parked in front of their house. Jenny explained, "Oh, I love daisies!" She pointed at the little bud vase attached to the dash of the VW. 

"Believe it or not, that's what sold me on the car," Rose laughed. "It's the little things."

"No roses?" John quipped.

"Little too on the nose," Rose snickered.

Tony clambered into his booster seat in the backseat, waving a sleepy goodbye to Jenny. 

Awkwardly, and quickly, John leaned down and pecked Rose's cheek. He felt that it was chaste enough in view of the kids.

Rose rewarded him with a smile and a squeeze of his hand. "We can make plans at practice?" she suggested.

"Certainly!" 

Rose closed the car door reluctantly. John and Jenny waved as they pulled away from the curb. 

"You know, it's okay if you give her a real kiss, Daddy," Jenny announced. Before she skipped away to the front door, she added, "Maybe you could get a flower for her car!" 

John watched his daughter's happy little dance from the sidewalk to the front door, gobsmacked. He had feeling he'd have a problem hiding anything from her. He felt simultaneously elated to have taken that first step, and terrified at where it would all lead. 

******

In her car few block away, Rose was certain that she wouldn't sleep for quite a while tonight. She could still feel the press of his lips against hers, recalling how he had felt and tasted, and she also certain that she couldn't wait to feel that again. 

For the first time in a very long while, she felt like taking a leap of faith. It terrified and elated her. He was no Jimmy Stone, so she took comfort in that. John's hands were gentle. 

Rose took a shaky breath. She'd have her business trip to distract her, then Thursday, she'd see him. And of course, no matter how she distracted herself, Saturday couldn't arrive fast enough to suit her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The big date, sans children, looms on the horizon. Rose meets up with someone she'd rather not see again, and John learns more about her past.


	7. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet some of John's and Rose's family and friends (and discover they have a mutual friend). Plans for a first date are made......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with this story. The next chapter is nearly written. I was holding back on this one so I could have the next one mostly done. 
> 
> Also, this fits @timepetalsprompts, and Fall fic Fest's "fall foods" prompt for John'a grandma's roasted pumpkin seeds.
> 
> (And the football game scene was completely inspired by watching my own kids playing soccer at the age of six. It's quite entertaining.)

Sunday brought the usual Sunday roast at the Noble house. A tradition since before John and Astrid married, Sylvia insisted that her family gather at her house. Jenny always enjoyed the time with Wilfred, even if Donna and John chafed at Sylvia's nosiness. Astrid had always taken it with good grace and eventually worked her way into Sylvia's heart. She was a tough  
audience, and the fact that Astrid had endeared herself to her mother in law so quickly was some sort of a miracle.

It left a big hole in the family when Astrid was no longer there. Several times that first year after Astrid's passing John had been unable to make it through the meal without excusing himself to go have a good cry in the loo. Things had slowly improved, to the point when Sylvia was dropping hints that she would not be adverse to a guest at the table. John always deflected the questions and changed the subject.

Now he was letting himself wonder if Rose wouldn't mind a Sunday roast. It wasn't happening the day after that play date, however. Rose had a business trip to Cardiff awaiting her and she needed to pack. 

After a good roast and many nosy questions from his mother and sister, John and Jenny took leave of the family to have an afternoon to themselves. It hadn't been excruciating, he thought. Mum and Donna were too involved with bickering over Donna's wedding plans to get too in depth with their questioning. Donna had mouthed, "Call me" as he and Jenny said goodbye, so he reckoned he wasn't quite off the hook.

"What are we gonna do now, Daddy?" Jenny asked. "Can we go visit Rose or something like that? "

"No, you know she's on her business trip. I thought we could go to that farmer's market and pick up some pumpkins to carve."

"And roast pumpkin seeds, right?" Jenny piped up, hands clasped hopefully.

"We couldn't carve pumpkins without making Granny Nettie's pumpkin seeds, Jen. It would be flying in the face of tradition. We simply can't skip it." He said the last in an exaggeratedly posh accent.

Jenny giggled all the way out to their car.

The lovely weather had brought a crowd to the farmer's market. "Rule number one," John reminded her as they entered the booths. They meandered their way through the tight crowd, stopping to watch a pair of guitarists.

It was one of those days when they couldn't walk fifty steps without meeting up with someone they knew. The Williams family had arrived shortly before they did. Mrs. Foreman, who taught art at Coal Hill, was there picking out pumpkins, which made Jenny giggle. It was always funny to see teachers out of school. They acted just like normal people, Jenny marveled. Jenny saw Ms. Oswald there holding Mr. Pink's hand and she was delighted to be right about them. They looked so happy. She hoped her Daddy and Rose would be like that, too. 

Then she saw Melody beckoning to her and she inadvertently disobeyed her father.

John was picking out some apples when he noticed that Jenny wasn't standing by him. She hadn't walked around to the basket of Granny Smith apples. He pivoted to look up the aisle between the vendors. Looking to the left and right, he saw no signs of Jenny.

He immediately dropped the apples and his heart nearly stopped. Losing Jenny was his greatest fear, he woke with nightmares of it. Stepping away from te apples, John cursed under his breath, looking around wildly. He passed by Rory Williams and blurted, “Have you seen Jenny?” Rory, who'd been talking to a neighbor, shook his head and immediately followed John to search. 

John called Jenny's name three times before he heard Amy yell, “"S'okay! I got her!" He saw Amy waving at him by the pumpkins. Jenny was standing with Melody, looking confused by the commotion.

“What’s wrong? I'm just here with Melody.”

"Jeannette, what did I tell you," John gasped, kneeling down to get on Jenny's eye level. 

Jenny's eyes widened as she realized she'd done precisely what Daddy had forbidden. "I'm sorry!" she murmured.

"Thank God Amy saw you! Jen, I'm about this close to just taking you home and forgetting the pumpkins this year! Thanks, Amy."

"John, she was safe the whole time," Amy reminded him. "I was just a few steps away. But you shouldn't have wandered away, Jen." 

"I know," Jenny sighed. Tears filled her big blue eyes. John sighed shakily, pulling her into his arms.

"I love you, Jen. I was scared when I couldn't find you." He squeezed her tight. “Just please don't ever….”. He hugged her again, looking up at Amy. Amy patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“If everything's under control….” Amy began.

“It is. Thank you for finding her. It could have been so much worse, and I….” he trailed off forlornly.

Amy nodded. “Lesson learned, Jenny?”

Jenny nodded. “Can we still get a pumpkin?” she asked.

Amy chuckled and walked away with Melody. John sighed. “Give me a mo to calm down and think about it, Jen.”

Jenny noticed his trembling hands and blushed in embarrassment. She hugged him tightly. “I'm sorry,” she murmured.

“Please don't scare me like that again. We have to stick together, okay?” Jenny nodded, still horribly embarrassed to cause her father so much grief.

John took in Jenny’s miserable expression and kissed her forehead. There was no point in denying them both something to which they'd been anticipating.

In the end, they selected two pumpkins. Just before paying, Jenny grabbed a third. “For Rose,” she said with a hopeful smile.

John ended up agreeing to that as well.

They spent a lovely evening carving the three pumpkins and roasting cinnamon spice pumpkin seeds, which had been a autumn tradition of Jenny’s namesake. 

While John slid the cookie sheet full of seasoned pumpkin seeds into the oven, Jenny grabbed his phone and took pictures of their pumpkin creations. He snatched the phone back and took a picture of his daughter posing with her jack-o-lanterns, grinning broadly, a gap where her two front baby teeth used to be. Not for the first time he wondered how it could simultaneously make him happy and depressed to see her looking grown up. 

*****

On Sunday night, Rose was trying to settle into her Cardiff hotel room. It was shaping up to be a long seventy-two hours of work to set up Torchwood Security's second office. They had finally gotten Jack Harkness on board, as well several other excellent security experts. Rose hoped that Jack being willing to head the Cardiff team would finally get the idea of Rose running that office out of Pete's mind. She found herself rather wanting to stay in London. 

 

She put on her pink flannel pajamas  
and was considering room service when her phone buzzed with a text. She smiled. 

~Hi Rose! When are you coming home?~

It was from John's phone but Rose had a suspicion that he wasn't the one sending the text.

She typed back, "Would this be Jenny?"

~Yes!~

Rose chuckled, typing rapidly. "Does Dad know you have his phone?" 

There was a bit of a pause. ~I think he knows.~

"You might want to tell him." 

~Be right back.~

Rose lay back against her pillow, laughing. She was already in love with Jenny Noble. 

The phone buzzed again a few minutes later. ~John here. Apparently we're having a conversation tonight. I told her she could text you tomorrow morning. I know you're probably tired. Jenny is not the model of patience.~

"I really don't mind. I love hearing from both of you. You made my day."

~ :D Brilliant! Jenny wants to talk to you again.~

~It's Jenny!~

Rose had a mental picture of the little girl reclaiming the phone before her dad could do anything about it. The thought of it delighted her.

~Are you coming home soon?~

"Thursday. Just in time for football practice."

Jenny sent a smiley face and several exclamation points. They texted back and forth for a while, and John helped Jenny text a picture of her with her newly acquired pumpkins.

~I did 3. For daddy and you and me. I saved you some pumpkin seeds too.~

Rose smiled. It was wonderful and also terrifying how much faith Jenny was putting in her. "They're gorgeous," she texted back. What she wanted to say was "I think I'm in love with you both already."

They talked for a while longer, then Jenny had to go to bed. She and John confirmed plans to meet up at practice. She rang off, yawning and feeling quite happy about the whole situation.

Rose turned down the duvet, thinking she would get some sleep when someone knocked at her door.

"Jack Harkness, pizza delivery boy," the voice on the other side said. Rose rolled her eyes and let him in. 

"Buying pizzas on the company card again?" she asked, smirking.

"Your dad would never forgive me if I let you starve, Rose." He said this with a look of innocence that made Rose double over with laughter.

They tucked into pizza and sodas. It was rather like having a sleepover complete with snacks and gossip. Jack told her about a vacation he and Ianto had taken, and as always he shared a bit more than she wanted to know. 

Eventually, the subject turned to Rose's love life. For once she had something to report.

"He's got a daughter, though....so I'm treading carefully."

"You're goin' all in, after years of nothing. A guy with a kid. Well, good luck with that."

"She's adorable. Smart, funny...gets along with Tony. They go to school together. Look, see, here's her picture," Rose informed him. She handed him her phone.

Jack's eyes grew large with comic surprise. He burst out laughing to Rose's consternation and confusion. 

"Oh my God. Seriously? His name wouldn't be John Noble, would it? The Doctor? Has an adorable little girl? That one?"

"Yes," Rose confirmed, blushing. "How do you know him?"

"Our families have been friends for years. Oh, my God, you and the Doctor!" Jack crowed, his eyes crinkling with mirth. "It never crossed my mind that you'd ever....and him... Together, ha!"

"Cool it, it's early days," Rose warned.

"I swear I'll be your biggest cheerleader. Short skirt and pom-poms and everything!" 

"That's not necessary...and I think you'd have to compete with Jenny for that spot anyway. Possibly with John's sister and my mother."

"We'll form a squad!" Jack said with a laugh. Then he sobered. "Seriously, Rosie..... I've known John for years. He's had a rough time of it. And so have you, for that matter."

Rose averted her eyes. "Didn't lose a spouse."

"And I've been just as worried for you as I have for him. Damn, wish I'd thought of it first, gettin' you two together!"

"You can blame Jenny, I suppose. She's been waging quite the campaign," Rose laughed. 

"That's my girl! You need to bring John along on a pub quiz night. We'd have a fighting shot at the sci-fi trivia for a change!"

Rose rolled her eyes, laughing. "Leave it to you to figure out an angle that benefits you!"

"What? I'm sick of losin' to that wanker Adam, just because he lives in his mom's basement and watches the sci-fi channel all night long. Sure am glad you didn't end up dating him more than once."

Rose burst out laughing. "I only went out with him once because you and Jake nagged me. I did it to shut you up. He only solidified my resolve to swear off men."

"So where does John figure in? Did you swear back on?"

"I suppose so! Nerve wracking, though. S'not just the pair of us to think about. We've got Jenny to think about. What if I'm rubbish at this and I disappoint her?"

"Rosie, you have so much love in you. You're one of the kindest people I know. Definitely one of the most compassionate. You'll be fine. Listen, Jenny is a tough one. If you're already in her good graces now, then you've accomplished something." Jack smirked and raised an eyebrow. Rose braced herself for what she knew was coming. "So....what's he like in bed?"

"Jack Harkness! None of your business and we haven't even gone on a real date yet! We had a play date at his house." Jack guffawed and Rose turned red, knowing what Jack must be thinking. It was the only way he ever thought. It suddenly struck her funny and she couldn't keep a straight face for long.  
"It was a play date with Jenny and Tony, get your mind out of the gutter!"

"The gutter's lovely place. It's warm and we have cookies. And hey, if there's anyone I'd love to see get him back in the saddle again, it's you. I was just wonderin' what the ride was like," Jack quipped.

"Enough, Jack! Go to your room!" Rose commanded, laughing.

"Just keep me in the loop."

"You don't need to be anywhere near my loop," she blurted, still laughing. Her sides hurt.

"You're in mine," he laughed as he snatched one of the pizza boxes up.

"And it's too much information!"

"Normally I'd campaign hard for you to stay here with me to work in Cardiff but not with this development. Remember. Me, short skirt, pom-poms. Biggest cheerleader ever."

Eventually he left her alone, but not before Jack had announced the happy news to Jake and Ianto.

And later that evening, John was surprised to get a rather joyfully suggestive text from Jack Harkness, congratulating him on his good fortune.

*****

After the slowest train ride home in the recorded history of the United Kingdom, Rose made it back to London. She took Thursday off and was well rested by the time she picked Tony up for football practice.

She took a seat on a bench close to the one she had chosen for the first practice, keeping a careful eye out for John. It wasn't long before she saw him, Jenny and Melody Williams arriving at a run. Melody ran out to the coach (who was oddly wearing his tweed coat over his football kit). John knelt by Jenny, hurriedly helping her with her shin guards.

Rose beamed, watching him with his daughter. Jack had been making jokes about "hot dads" in Cardiff, and Rose had to admit, she did melt a bit watching John with Jenny. She chided herself for acting like a giggly teenager upon seeing him. Then she decided she didn't care, she was pleased to see him, and that was all that mattered.

*******

John sent Jenny out to the field, promising to give Rose the bag of pumpkin seeds Jenny saved for her. He scanned the benches for Rose. He'd already noticed Tony practicing. When he spied Rose his heart gave a happy little flip. He strode directly to her bench. She hopped up, returning his smile. His hand slipped into hers quite of its own accord. 

"Fancy a walk?" he asked.

She bit her lip, and John's eyes were immediately drawn to her mouth. "I'd fancy a kiss," she murmured. Her cheeks flushed pink. "M'not usually this forward."

"S'fine with me. And we can walk afterwards," he whispered as he leaned down to press his lips to hers in a brief, (mostly) chaste kiss.

They heard a shrill "Yes!" ring out over the field and both knew exactly who it was. 

"Keep your eye on the ball, Jenny!" John hollered back, to Rose's great amusement. He squeezed her hand and she stroked her thumb along his.  
"Ready for that walk?"

They began to stroll around the field, talking of nothing in particular, watching the children play. Rose nibbled on the seeds as they walked, exclaiming over how tasty they were.

"Did you have a good trip to Cardiff?" John asked.

"Yes, and I'm glad it's over. I have to go back in November for a few meetings. I really like the team that's running the Cardiff office, but I'm certainly happy to be home. Dad wanted me to head it up, but we found someone for that. Rose gave him a knowing smile.

John smirked. "Wellll.....it appears we have mutual friend on the team."

Rose chuckled. "Why yes, we do."

"Our good old Captain Jack. He s'been my friend since childhood. Stayed a good friend even after he moved to America at the age of ten. How do you know him?"

"Jack's freelanced for my dad for years. Dad finally got him to sign on and now he's going to head the Cardiff office. All that secret agent experience impressed Dad, you know." 

"Would you like to see what he sent me?" He pulled his phone out of his coat pocket.

Rose accepted it warily. "I shudder to think. Oh. 'Give a shout, boop a nose, shake a....oh, my God...." She burst into horrified laughter. 

".....For John and Rose," John concluded, unable to control his laughter.

"He really is not letting the cheerleader thing go, is he?" Rose choked out, barely able to speak from laughing.

"I reckoned you could explain that," John told her, his left eyebrow arched in amusement. 

"Jack's our biggest cheerleader. Not counting Jenny. And my mum."

"And my sister. And Amy across the street, who was spying out her window and saw me kissing you and called Donna. The Ginger Conspiracy, they are. We have many cheerleaders. We'd be letting people down if we didn't....." He trailed off before finishing 'fall in love.' He didn't want to scare her off, after all. 

It seemed, however, by the soft smile with which she favored him, that she wasn't scared at all. "Let's not worry about them," she murmured. 

"Focus on each other, and it'll all sort itself out, I suppose?" 

"Something like that." They stopped under a tree just beginning burst with autumn color. She let go of his hand and linked her arms around his neck. John seemed quite pleased with the situation. She went up on tiptoes, pressing her lips to his, then capturing his lower lip between hers. He hummed happily at the feel of it all. Mindful of their location, they let the kiss ebb away, standing forehead to forehead. They simultaneously turned to face the field and noticed the line of six year olds watching them. Melody and Jenny were among them.

"Wow. I think I've already said that, but the point still stands," John breathed. "I wonder what it would be like to kiss you without an audience."

"Yes, wow. I was wondering the same thing. I think we'd better make some plans."

They began to walk again and by the time they made it back to the bench they had decided on dinner and then they'd work out what to do afterwards. Neither wanted to go to a movie and spend the evening not talking to each other. Once they began talking, they didn't want to stop.

*******

The morning of the first football match between Coal Hill and the six year olds from Farmington Academy dawned cool and sunny. Of course, John found himself in a hectic run to get Jenny in her football kit and out the door on time to warm up with the team.

"Dad! I don't have socks!" Jenny cried as they pulled into a parking spot. John cursed under his breath as he attempted to parallel park. 

"You don't have socks?! How did you leave the house without your football socks? You have your shin guards, right?"

"Well, yeah, but not on!"

He blurted, "What do you have on your feet, Jenny?"

"These sandals!"

He finally parked and looked back at his equally frustrated daughter. He took a deep breath to calm his temper.

"Jeannette, whose responsibility is it to get the football kit together?"

She crossed her arms and glared at him, knowing that hearing her full given name meant she was treading on thin ice. "Mine. But I think they're in the laundry. You were supposed to do that yesterday!"

John opened his mouth to refute her statement and realized he couldn't. "Okay.....then I'm leaving you with Amy and Rory and running back to get the dirty ones out of the hamper. And it's both our responsibility to see that everything gets done for the next game. Deal?"

"Okay," she sighed. 

They made their way toward the field where the coach already had some of the players warming up. 

John's heart was warmed by the sight of Rose Tyler sitting on a blanket by the sidelines, tying her brother's shoes. She was accompanied by her parents. She tied Tony's cleats and stood up to greet a man who approached the group. He gave Rose a warm hug, she kissed his cheek.

And John felt a twinge of jealousy.

Until a very pregnant woman joined them. The pair clasped hands and immediately John felt like a fool. He was glad no one had noticed them yet.

"Rose!" Jenny yelled. "Hey, Dad, I could just stay with Rose. Ask her!" Jenny flashed her most persuasive grin.

"Hello," Rose greeted them. 

"Hey, can I stay with you? I forgot my socks," Jenny announced before John could get a word in edgewise.

"Jenny, for heavens sake!" John groaned. He rolled his eyes. "I need to run home for a mo. Could she stay..."

They were interrupted by Jackie, who called, "I've got an extra pair. No worries. Now, you can just sit with us. Expecting anyone else?"

John felt that he'd been caught up in a bit of a whirlwind but answered, "Okay...Brilliant. My mum and some other family are coming."

"Well, we can all sit together and get to know one another," Jackie said brightly.

"Right, then," John said, looking a little dazed. 

Rose chuckled and took his hand. "I've got room on my blanket if you'd like to share."

He grinned from ear to ear. "I'd like that."

"Ha! There's Granna and Gramps and Aunt Donna!" Jenny crowed, jumping up and down. They were indeed approaching, and Sylvia and Donna were predictably bickering about something as they walked. Jenny ran over to them.

Rose introduced John to her mate Mickey, and his wife Martha, and John internally berated himself for acting like a jealous teenager. Finally his family joined them and all the introductions were made as Jenny and Tony took to the field to warm up. John's breath was taken away at how grown up Jenny looked, even if her football kit was a size too big for her. 

"This is the first time I've ever seen Jenny interested in any sport," John's mother, Sylvia, announced. “Wonder why she decided to become an athlete all of a sudden?”

"She'll try anything once, Mum," John reminded her. "She might find out she really enjoys it. And who knows....Great Britain's new Olympic football superstar could be out there." Jenny turned a series of cartwheels as the ball sailed by her.

"And maybe gymnastics is more her thing," Donna commented.

"Then Rose could teach her a few tricks," Jackie piped up. "Won the bronze in a school gymnastics meet when she was about Jenny's age, she did."

"Oh, Mum!" Rose groaned.

"You let me brag on you," Jackie ordered.  
“I'm proud of you, and if it embarrassed you, so be it!”

"It's a mother's job," Sylvia agreed, and with that, Sylvia and Jackie appeared to bond. 

The whistle blew and Jenny and Tony took the field. It was entertaining to watch such small children play. "We always know where the ball is, as they seem to want to gather in a pack around it," Wilfred commented, even as the coach was shouting for them to spread out. Back and forth they ran. Farmington scored, but Coal Hill immediately got possession of the ball back.

The ball rolled past Jenny and she suddenly sprang into action. John, who'd been sitting cross legged by Rose on the blanket, suddenly raised up on his knees as Jenny took the ball down the field for the first time. Donna was jumping in place and suddenly their section of the sidelines got very loud. Rose jumped to her feet, pulling John up as well, and they hollered as they watched Jenny pass the ball to Tony. Tony was small, but quick, and he dodged several children from Farmington Academy to send the ball flying at the goal, going in past the keeper. John and Rose hugged as the family cheered.

"Looks like Tyler and Noble are a pretty unbeatable team," Pete announced.  
Jackie glanced at Sylvia, and they both smirked.

 

John leaned over and gave Rose a quick peck on the lips. 

It did not go unnoticed by the rest of the family. 

The rest of the game was a bit more sedate than that moment of family sports history. In the end, Coal Hill came out on top, Tony scored twice more, and Melody pulled her loose tooth while keeping goal. The important thing was that Sally's mum brought juice boxes and goldfish crackers. 

While the children ate and Sylvia and Jackie took pictures of Jenny and Tony, Wilfred got to know Rose a little better. Rose was completely charmed by John's grandad. "It's nice to see our John keeping company with a lady as lovely as you," he told her.

"Granddad's a bit of a flirt," Donna interjected with a smirk. 

"I think he's lovely," Rose smiled. She found herself wanting to spend more time with these people. Football Saturdays would be quite lovely, she decided.

As for John, he took an immediate liking to Pete, who was the quite the opposite of his brash wife. She had her own charm as well, and he found himself wanting to spend more time with them. He started looking forward to the rest of football season for multiple reasons.

As they packed up to leave, John helped Rose fold her blanket. "Seven o'clock sound good? For tonight, that is?" he stammered. The thought of spending time alone with her thrilled and terrified all at the same time.

"Yeah, that's great. There's a chip place around the corner from my flat. You can't find any better in London. And I'm a bit of a chip expert."

"Oh, are you? I didn't realize it was such a delicacy."

"Well, then you haven't ever had any good chips," Rose declared. They folded the blanket in half, then approached each other to fold it into quarters. They were toe to toe with her smiling up at him, that maddening tongue poking out. John quickly kissed her again, because folding the blanket was as good an excuse as any to get closer. 

They realized it had suddenly gotten very quiet, and they felt the weight of both families watching them. "Didn't I mention something about wanting to kiss you without an audience?" John murmured.

"Seven can't get here fast enough," Rose whispered back.

******

The Tylers parted ways with the Nobles after the game. Sylvia followed to with Jenny, who was talking a mile a minute. John walked with his grandad.  
Wilf took advantage of a moment alone with John to comment, "I like that Rose,"

John grinned. "I like that Rose, too."

"Reckoned you did. You seem quite pleased with her. She seems like a good one. She certainly only has eyes for you, we all could see that. And we could see you felt the same way."

"I wasn't lookin' for anyone, Grandad. I promised Donna I'd try to at least make a friend. Had no idea I'd meet someone who'd be this...important to me this soon. D'you think it's too soon for us to be..this important to each other?"

Wilfred smiled at his grandson. "I wasn't expecting to meet someone as important as your gran was to me either, son, but sometimes that's how it works. Everything happens in its own time. It's your time."

"So....you didn't think you'd ever...."

"Not after Romana passed. We were so young and everyone said I would find someone else, marry again. I thought maybe, someday, but surely you never found someone like that a second time around. Then I met my Jeannette, and she proved me wrong. She loved proving me wrong, y'know. Your mum takes after her in that respect. And your sister, for that matter. And I would imagine Jenny has inherited that as well." John and Wilfred chuckled. Since they heard no protest behind them they reckoned Donna and Sylvia hadn't heard. "I've been hopin' someone would come along for you. Wanted to talk to you about it, but it never seemed like the right time."

"That never stopped Mum and Donna," John snickered. "But, thanks, Grandad. At least I know it's possible."

"Anything's possible, John." Wilf patted his shoulder. 

"Dad talking 'aliens' again?" Sylvia sighed with a eye roll as she and Jenny caught up with them.

"Nope. Somethin' even more mysterious," Wilf chuckled, earning a broad grin from John.

*******

"Need to talk to ya, Rose," Mickey stated, watching the Nobles' progress toward their cars. He and Martha had stayed to watch the game with them. He'd looked like he had something on his mind the whole time, but Rose hadn't had a chance to ask what it was. 

"That sounds ominous," Rose commented.

"Could be," Mickey agreed. "Jimmy's been around."

"So?" Rose said with a bravado she didn't feel. She sighed. This was the last thing she needed. "Don't mean I'll see him."

"Just thought you should be on your guard." 

"I'm not worried. I think he knows better than to bother me," Rose assured Mickey, her mouth set in a grim line.

"Just thought you should know," Mickey told her.

"I appreciate it, Micks. I really do. I just don't want to think about him right now." She looked down the road to where John was letting Jenny into their car.

"Got other things on your mind, I expect," Mickey commented, nodding toward the Nobles.

"That I do," Rose agreed.

"Just keep an eye out. He'll probably leave you alone. But I don't want you to be surprised if he turns up." He paused for a minute. "That John bloke seems okay."

"He is," Rose agreed.

"Well....that's good," he said with a small smile. "Glad to see it."

"He's no Jimmy," she assured him.

"Even better. Just keep an eye out, okay?"

Rose nodded, climbing into her car. She watched Mickey join Martha across the road, then put her head against the steering wheel and groaned.

Jimmy had managed to stay away this long, after his short stint in prison for drug possession and assaulting her. He hadn't even been in the city. The last she heard he'd headed to Blackpool. 

Well, just because he'd been seen about didn't mean he'd necessarily come around. 

She slammed her hand against the steering wheel in a sudden fit of anger. "Ow, dammit! Just stop it, Rose. Bloody Jimmy Stone does not get to ruin this. He just does not." 

She hated Jimmy for still having that much power over her even three years after. Well, no more. She felt like she was coming back to life again after a three-year sleep and she was not about to let that wanker into her head again. She started the car and pulled out into traffic, determined to focus on the evening to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To come: the date!


End file.
